In the last 24 hours, the state Department of Health and Human Services recorded 13 COVID-19-related deaths in North Carolina, the state’s largest jump since the pandemic began.
The DHHS updates its counts by 11:00 a.m. each morning. On April 6, it had recorded 33 deaths. On Tuesday, it had 46.
The state also recorded 356 new coronavirus cases, jumping 2,870 to 3,221. Because of the lag time between when specimens of suspected cases are collected and when the test results are returned, that does not mean that 356 new people tested positive yesterday.
This would make the state’s COVID-19 mortality rate 1.4 percent. The actual mortality rate, however, is likely far less, as many more people have been infected by the coronavirus than were tested for it.
Here are a few noteworthy data points from the DHHS:
—> 52 percent of those diagnosed with COVID-19 are women, but 72 percent of those who have died are men. This same dynamic has been seen all over the world.
—> African Americans, who comprise 22 percent of the state’s population, account for 38 percent of confirmed cases and 31 percent of fatalities. (This is a trend seen in cities throughout the country.)
—> 80 percent of those who have died were 65 or older, though seniors only account for 20 percent of diagnoses. No one under 25 has died of COVID-19.
Contact editor in chief Jeffrey C. Billman at jbillman@indyweek.com.
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