New NC COVID-19 data show overall decline as percentage of positive tests hovers at 5%
Newly reported COVID-19 cases in North Carolina declined by about 12% in the first two weeks of September, compared to the last 14 days in August, when college students returning to campuses contributed to case spikes.
North Carolina reported 845 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total in the state to 185,781 since March. The official total is likely an undercount because testing was rationed early in the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the state continues to see the percentage of positive tests hover around 5%. Levels of 5% positive and lower for 14 days are an indication that there’s enough testing in a state to control viral spread, The New York Times reported.
About 4.8% of coronavirus tests were positive Saturday, the most recent date available, DHHS reported.
DHHS says information on its data dashboard is preliminary and subject to change. Data is regularly updated days after it is reported. For example, about 4.9% of the tests were positive as of Friday, but that number was updated to 5% on Monday.
Still, the percentage has been in the 5% range since Sept. 9.
Pia MacDonald, senior epidemiologist at RTI International, said the 5% positive mark is an arbitrary target.
“What we really want to see is that percentage go lower and lower and lower over time and the number of tests increase over time,” she told The News & Observer Monday in a telephone interview.
Three New England states and New York have percent positive levels below 1%, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
The percent of positive tests is just one metric used to assess the impact of the coronavirus, MacDonald said. While the decline in new cases and the lower percentage of positive tests are good signs, it’s “too early to tell how much of an impact that’s having on containing the virus in North Carolina,” she said.
More than 167,250 people are presumed recovered from COVID-19, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported Monday. The estimate is based on when people were tested and whether or not they were hospitalized.
“It’s good to celebrate some of this good news, but we must keep an eye on the broader picture,” MacDonald said. “We have a lot more work to do.”
Hospitals reported treating 895 people with COVID-19 as inpatients Sunday, based on information that 92% of hospitals sent to the state Department of Health and Human Services. That’s up 78 patients reported hospitalized on Saturday.
DHHS reported eight more COVID-19 deaths Monday, bringing the total to 3,060.
The Triangle and Mecklenburg County
▪ Wake County COVID-19 cases increased by 75 Monday to 16,393. The county has had 213 related deaths.
▪ Durham County cases increased by 11 Monday to 7,318, with 88 total deaths.
▪ Orange County cases increased by 7 Monday to 2,526. The county has had 54 related deaths.
▪ Mecklenburg County’s COVID-19 caseload increased by 63 on Monday, bringing its total to 26,931, with 334 total deaths.
Free COVID-19 testing
Wake County has free drive-thru testing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sunnybrook Building parking lot at 2925 Holston Lane each weekday every weekday this week except for Wednesday. Registration is required.
Old North State Medical Society, the medical society for African-American doctors, is sponsoring free COVID-19 testing from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Friday, at the Rogers Road RENA Community Center, 101 Edgar St., Chapel Hill. Pre-registration is required.
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 1:47 PM with the headline "New NC COVID-19 data show overall decline as percentage of positive tests hovers at 5%."