Davidson COVID-19 Update: 315 Cases Confirmed, 6 Deaths

DAVIDSON, NC — Community spread of COVID-19 continues throughout North Carolina, with at last 315 lab-confirmed cases reported in Davidson, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The news comes as Mecklenburg County health officials urge county residents exercise caution during family gatherings.

As of Friday, Mecklenburg County reported 29,956 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 366 coronavirus-related deaths. The county's positivity rate averaged about 4.9 percent.

In Davidson, six deaths have been attributed to COVID-19, DHHS said.

"COVID deaths in Mecklenburg County in the first six months of this year have risen to the third leading cause of death," marking the first time in decades that a communicable disease was in the top 10 causes of death in the community, Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said Friday.

Since early August, county public health officials have connected positive coronavirus cases to at least 97 family gatherings, 24 wedding-related events, 14 funerals and 23 religious events at places of worship, she said.

"Family gatherings are the largest number where we've actually seen people become positive within 14 days of the event," Harris said.

"We have a tendency to believe that we are safe within our family, regardless of whether these are individuals that we've been spending time with," she said. "If you're bringing people together around holidays, you need to be conscious of the fact that if these are individuals that you don't live with and that you normally are not spending time with, you need to consider wearing your mask and social distancing."

The number of known coronavirus cases in North Carolina rose by 2,034 cases Friday, increasing the state's total number of COVID-19 cases to 227,431. The state's COVID-19 death toll rose by 25 Friday, increasing the number of lives lost to COVID-19 in North Carolina to 3,747.

Throughout the state, at least 1,065 patients were hospitalized for COVID-like symptoms Friday, 14 more than were reported Thursday.

Overall, hospitalizations in the Charlotte metro remain stable, however public health officials are closely watching the availability of intensive care unit beds in the region, Harris said. "We continue to be concerned about the capacity of our healthcare systems to address issues, whether that's COVID or flu," Harris said. "Unfortunately this fall, we're going to see a combination of the both."

Globally, more than 36.6 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and more than 1 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Friday afternoon. In the United States, more than 7.6 million people have been infected and more than 212,000 people have died from COVID-19.

SEE ALSO:

• Here's What You Shouldn't Do This Halloween, County Officials Say
• 2020 Flu Season: Where To Get Vaccines In Davidson
• Community COVID-19 Testing In Mecklenburg: Where To Get A Test