'Last few weeks have been the worst' for COVID-19 as Meck county surpasses 80K cases

Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris said "the last few weeks have been the worst" for COVID-19 deaths as the county surpassed 80,000 total cases Friday. However, Harris reports the county's key COVID metrics are showing early signs of declining. The latest county data report shows a decrease in daily cases, percent positive, and COVID-related hospitalizations over the last week. However, Harris said viral spread still remains high. Data shows average daily case increases are between 800 and 900, and the percentage of tests returning a positive result is 13.3% over the last two weeks. The average number of COVID-related patients in countywide hospitals over the last two weeks is just above 500. Despite the declines, the report also shows the highest number of congregate living clusters for the county since the start of the pandemic. https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/where-to-get-covid-19-vaccine-mecklenburg-county-coronavirus-update/275-99ca45ef-f115-42e6-ae89-99d9393d6fa4