COVID-19 Spread Continues Throughout Mecklenburg County

HUNTERSVILLE, NC — The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus and related hospitalizations are on the upswing in Mecklenburg County and could potentially rise due to statewide Phase 2 easing of restrictions and recent racial justice protests, the county's top public health official told county leaders Tuesday night.

North Carolina entered what Gov. Roy Cooper called a "modest" Phase 2 easing of restrictions at 5 p.m. May 22 at the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The order was aimed at reopening most businesses in the state with capacity restrictions and kept in effect limitations on mass gatherings.

Given that the order has been in effect for less than two weeks, more time is needed to fully understand the impact of the Phase 2 reopening on the spread of COVID-19, Public Health Director Gibbie Harris told the Board of Commissioners Tuesday evening.

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"Unfortunately, the events over the last couple of days and the lack of social distancing has the potential of making some impact as well," she said of racial justice protests. "It seems like now we're in a position of watching the data," Harris said.

The data will begin to show impacts in the next week she said.

"I was pleased when the governor decided to go five weeks with Phase 2 because it gives us more time to see what the impact of the opening," before he makes a decision regarding when to move into Phase 3," Harris said.

Coronavirus has claimed the lives of at least 96 people in Mecklenburg County, which as of Wednesday had confirmed 4,670 cases.

Nearly a quarter of the county's deaths have occurred in the Lake Norman towns of Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson, according to data.

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The state continues to see an increase in the number of laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19, with an acceleration in the past week, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said Tuesday afternoon in news conference. Hospitalizations for coronavirus-related illnesses are also increasing slightly, she said.

Wednesday morning, state public health officials reported 30,777 confirmed cases, an increase of nearly 900 cases since Tuesday. The death toll for the state increased by 18 new deaths since Tuesday morning, putting the statewide total at 939, NC DHHS said.

Mecklenburg County continues to be the hardest hit county in North Carolina, followed by Wake County, which reported Wednesday 1,894 confirmed cases and 40 deaths.

Here's a breakout of how many of the 4,670 COVID-19 cases in Mecklenburg are present in the Lake Norman region as of June 3, according to NC DHHS:

• Davidson (zip code 28036): 27 cases, 2 death
• Cornelius (zip code 28031): 94 cases, 15 deaths
• Huntersville (zip code 28078): 92 cases, 4 deaths

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