News

County climbs to 200 cases, 20 deaths

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 5, 2020

Henderson County reached 200 covid-19 cases and 20 covid-related deaths in the latest reporting from the public health department.

The county's death count ranks as the third highest in the state while the number of cases ranked ninth.The county's mortality rate, now at 10 percent, is the highest in the state among counties with at least 150 cases, the Hendersonville Lightning's review of state statistics showed. Of the county's total cases, 167, of 83.5 percent, were associated with a long-term care facility, as were all of the deaths.

Public Health Director Steve Smith has said that the county has a high number of cases because health officials have been aggressively testing at congregant care facilities to find outbreaks and has a high mortality rate because those getting the infection are older patients, often with pre-existing conditions. Seventy-two percent of the Covid-19 positive people were over 60 years old, the county's coronavirus dashboard said.

Mecklenburg County has 1,734 cases and 50 deaths in the latest reporting from the state Department of Health and Human Services. Wake County had 891 cases and 19 deaths, for a mortality rate of .02 percent.