Davidson COVID-19 Update: 147 Confirmed Cases, 4 Deaths Reported

DAVIDSON, NC — The spread of COVID-19 in Davidson reached 147 confirmed cases and four deaths, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday.

The news comes as North Carolina reported 2,140 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, increasing the state's tally of known cases of the virus to 105,001, DHHS said.

In Mecklenburg County, the virus has claimed the lives of 186 residents, as the number of confirmed cases rose to 17,782, Raynard Washington, deputy public health director for Mecklenburg County, said at a news conference Wednesday. About half of the cases have been released from isolation, he said.

The percentage of positive tests in the county has remained stable, "which is good news," however remains around 11 percent, he said.

As of July 19 — the most recent date of available county-level data — about one out of every 20 COVID-19 patients is hospitalized and the county averaged around 190 hospitalizations at area hospitals, which represented a slight increase over a two-week period, according to Mecklenburg County Public Health.

As state public health officials continue to monitor hospital capacity, Charlotte hospitals are seeing an increased number of COVID-19 patients from South Carolina, DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said Tuesday.

"Our hospitalization data is strictly based on what is happening here within the state of North Carolina, but we're definitely keeping our eye on places where we know where there is a lot of cross-border crossing in order to get their care," Cohen said.

"The place we're watching the most closely is the Charlotte area," she said. "We've had reports of increased amount of folks coming from South Carolina to North Carolina to get treatment at some of the hospitals in the Charlotte area, as well as get testing."

As of Wednesday, a survey of all Charlotte metro hospitals reported 102 patients suspected to have COVID-19 were admitted in the span of 24 hours, which left 43 empty ICU beds and 648 empty staffed inpatient hospital beds remaining in the region.

Cohen said while overall hospitalizations continue to increase, ICU bed use throughout the state has remained stable.

"What we're seeing in other states, whether it's Texas, or Arizona, or Florida, is that they are running out of hospital capacity. Their emergency rooms are getting strained," Cohen said. "We don't want to be in that situation.

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In a bid to curb growing crowds and the spread of COVID-19, county officials are enacting a new 11 p.m. curfew for alcohol sales, officials announced Wednesday.

Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, along with the towns of Davidson, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville signed the proclamation that requires restaurants and private clubs serving food and alcohol to close on site beverage consumption from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The Towns of Cornelius and Huntersville have not signed on to the plan, Dena Diorio, Mecklenburg County manager, said during a news conference Wednesday.

The new restrictions, which go into effect Thursday, July 23, only apply to restaurants that serve alcohol. Violations may be prosecuted as a Class 2 misdemeanor. Restaurants may continue to offer drive-thru, delivery and pick-up services during those hours.

Businesses selling alcohol, such as wine shops, breweries, private clubs and restaurants, are now also required to shut down all on-site alcohol sales between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The new ordinance will remain in place until Aug. 7, the same day Gov. Roy Cooper's extended Phase 2 executive order is set to expire.

SEE ALSO:

• New Mecklenburg Proclamation Sets Alcohol Sales Curfew
• 2,140 New COVID-19 Cases, 30 Deaths Reported In North Carolina