69 Coronavirus Deaths Reported In Mecklenburg County

HUNTERSVILLE, NC — Coronavirus has claimed the lives of at least 69 people in Mecklenburg County, which confirmed 2,695 cases, health officials said Tuesday afternoon. The development comes as the state sees its biggest day-over-day jump in hospitalizations.

North Carolina health officials reported 19,700 positive cases of COVID-19 throughout the state Tuesday afternoon, an increase of 677 cases since Monday.

The death toll for the state increased by 30 new deaths since Monday morning, putting the statewide total at 691, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus rose by 74 overnight for a total of 585 patients, up from 511 reported Monday, health officials said. The increase represents North Carolina's largest spike in hospitalizations yet.

Mecklenburg County continues to be the hardest hit in North Carolina, followed by Wake County, which has 1,272 confirmed cases and 30 deaths.

Here's a breakout of how many of the 2,695 COVID-19 cases in Mecklenburg are present in the Lake Norman region as of May 19, according to NC DHHS:

• Davidson (zip code 28036): 16 cases, 1 death
• Cornelius (zip code 28031): 80 cases, 14 deaths
• Huntersville (zip code 28078): 66 cases, 3 deaths

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in North Carolina. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

As of May 19, three out of every four cases reported in the county were between 20 and 59 years old, and more than a third of the cases in Mecklenburg County were Hispanic, according to county health officials.

Of those who died, almost all were older than 60 years of age, and occurred among adults with underlying chronic illnesses.

"Based on publicly available mobility tracking data, there has been a decrease in social distancing in Mecklenburg County over the last 14-days," Mecklenburg County Public Health said. "Despite this downward trend, social distancing remains significantly higher than before the Stay at Home Order became effective on March 26, 2020."

RELATED:

• NC COVID-19 Update: 30 Deaths, Nearly 12K Presumed Recovered
• Davidson Commissioners Consider Face Mask Mandate For Town
• 'You Can Easily Kill Someone': Cooper Slams COVID-19 Parties
• NC Coronavirus Survey: Majority Happy With Cooper, Not With Trump