New coronavirus cases leaped in North Carolina in the week ending Sunday, rising 38% as 11,605 cases were reported. The previous week had 8,409 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
North Carolina ranked 20th 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 increased 8.9% from the week before, with 381,004 cases reported. With 3.15% of the country’s population, North Carolina had 3.05% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, 41 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Gaston County reported 134 cases and three deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 123 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 65,452 cases and 803 deaths.
Within North Carolina, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Swain County with 561 cases per 100,000 per week; Yancey County with 410; and Jackson County with 278. 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 Wake County, with 2,086 cases; Mecklenburg County, with 1,315 cases; and Guilford County, with 908. Weekly case counts rose in 74 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Wake, Cumberland and Mecklenburg counties.
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
North Carolina ranked 14th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 84.2% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.6%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.
In the week ending Sunday, North Carolina reported administering another 78,530 vaccine doses, including 22,800 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 88,698 vaccine doses, including 24,848 first doses. In all, North Carolina reported it has administered 16,730,305 total doses.
Across North Carolina, cases fell in 23 counties, with the best declines in Orange County, with 389 cases from 537 a week earlier; in Yancey County, with 74 cases from 157; and in Carteret County, with -3 cases from 32.
In North Carolina, 42 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 29 people were reported dead.
A total of 2,659,255 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 23,405 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 81,365,218 people have tested positive and 993,733 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
North Carolina’s COVID-19 hospital admissions rising
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, May 1.
Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 1,163
- The week before that: 1,008
- Four weeks ago: 1,006
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 43,243
- The week before that: 39,428
- Four weeks ago: 37,216
Hospitals in 34 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 34 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 38 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.
