Gaston County's COVID cases up 8.2%; North Carolina cases fall 8.6%
North Carolina reported 21,899 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, down 8.6% from the previous week. The previous week had 23,959 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked 10th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 17.1% from the week before, with 543,317 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country's population, North Carolina had 4.03% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 16 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
The Labor Day holiday may have altered how many people can get tested and when, and when governments report testing results and deaths. This will skew week-to-week comparisons.
Gaston County reported 593 cases and 20 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 548 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 74,538 cases and 910 deaths.
Across North Carolina, cases fell in 68 counties, with the best declines in Mecklenburg County, with 2,122 cases from 2,402 a week earlier; in Wake County, with 2,094 cases from 2,358; and in New Hanover County, with 304 cases from 444.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Surry County with 457 cases per 100,000 per week; Yadkin County with 430; and Graham County with 426. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Mecklenburg County, with 2,122 cases; Wake County, with 2,094 cases; and Guilford County, with 1,165. Weekly case counts rose in 29 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Alamance, Sampson and Gaston counties.
In North Carolina, 492 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 83 people were reported dead.
A total of 3,120,822 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 26,335 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 94,748,404 people have tested positive and 1,047,498 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
North Carolina's COVID-19 hospital admissions falling
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Sept. 4. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
Last week: 2,592
The week before that: 2,784
Four weeks ago: 2,345
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
Last week: 63,337
The week before that: 64,048
Four weeks ago: 71,125
Hospitals in 10 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 15 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 21 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County reported 593 additional COVID-19 cases this week
