CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County health officials discussed current COVID-19 cases in the county Friday afternoon.
As of Friday morning, there were 49,374 cases of Coronavirus reported in Mecklenburg County. 481 people have died.
Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris continued to encourage county residents to wear a mask and avoid going out in public as much as possible.
Officials from both Charlotte hospitals spoke about capacity and medical response during the briefing. Both hospital systems believe they have the ability to manage patient care as things presently stand. Officials said they don't want to see the numbers climb higher for fear it may max out hospital capacity and staff.
A bright spot for Charlotte is that treatment and patient management has improved throughout the pandemic and hospitals are better able to treat patients. Hospital officials said there is less need for ICU beds right now.
Both hospital systems say they are not at a level where they would need to pause elective surgeries again.
Earlier this month, Harris said she was worried about a new peak of cases before the Christmas holiday.
The update came just hours before a statewide curfew and tighter restrictions go into effect meant to curb rising COVID-19 cases in North Carolina.
On Friday, more than 7,540 cases were reported in the state. That's the highest number of daily cases since the pandemic began and tops the previous record-high by more than 1,000 daily cases.