1,000 pandemic deaths: How Mecklenburg reached a somber COVID milestone

The coronavirus death toll in Mecklenburg County has reached 1,000, officials said Monday evening, a gut-wrenching milestone that comes as the delta variant accelerates the spread of COVID-19 across the Charlotte region.

“We extend our condolences to all of our residents and community members who have lost loved ones, friends and colleagues during the pandemic,” Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said in a statement. “If you have not yet gotten the vaccine, please get it now.”

When the county tweeted out Harris’ statement, it said Mecklenburg had reached “a sad milestone,” and noted that the COVID-19 vaccine is “safe, free and incredibly effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death. Get it if you are eligible. It may save your life.”

It was nearly 16 months ago when the COVID-19 pandemic claimed its first Mecklenburg victim, on March 29, 2020.

A 60-year-old resident with “significant underlying health conditions” had been hospitalized and later died of coronavirus-related complications, Harris said then.

The Charlotte area saw a sharp rise in fatalities last January and February, as coronavirus cases surged following holiday gatherings.

On Jan. 19, Mecklenburg reported its first pediatric coronavirus-related death, a resident under the age of 18. “This is not an acceptable situation for Mecklenburg County,” Harris said at the time.

Her plea for people to stay vigilant and follow COVID-19 guidelines came a week after officials said a 22-year-old resident had died of coronavirus-related complications — the youngest death at the time.

In recent months, Mecklenburg’s weekly death toll has slowed, a testament to the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines at preventing severe illness and death.

The progress was first seen at nursing homes, where coronavirus outbreaks and deaths dropped sharply in April once residents received both vaccine shots.

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But over the past month, new cases and hospitalizations are rising sharply due to the highly transmissible delta variant. Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said more hospitalizations would eventually lead to more deaths.

NC and local COVID trends

As trends worsens across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week said people — regardless of their vaccination status — should wear masks indoors in areas with high transmission rates. That includes the Charlotte area and most of North Carolina.

Officials are also pleading with people to get vaccinated.

“Get a vaccine today,” Gov. Roy Cooper said during a news conference last Thursday. “Don’t wait until you or a family member is sick and going on a ventilator. Don’t wait until we run out of hospital beds.”

Nearly half of Mecklenburg County residents are unvaccinated.

As of Monday, 52% of Mecklenburg County residents have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine, according to state Department of Health and Human Services data.

And across the state, 50% of residents are at least partially vaccinated, according to state numbers.

Mecklenburg County is reporting an increase in all COVID-19 trends, including hospitalizations, positivity rate and new cases. Across a seven-day average, Mecklenburg County is now adding more than 350 new infections daily, according to county data.

Last week, Mecklenburg County released details on breakthrough infections — cases of COVID-19 in fully vaccinated people — in the county for the first time. The county has confirmed 376 breakthrough infections between mid-March and mid-July.

In that same time span, Mecklenburg officials reported more than 18,000 coronavirus cases, meaning about 98% of local cases in that time likely occurred among unvaccinated people. Still, the true number of breakthrough cases in Mecklenburg could be higher.

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Amid worsening trends, the death milestone comes as major Charlotte employers like Lowe’s and Duke Energy begin requiring employees to wear masks indoors, and just weeks after hospital systems Atrium Health and Novant Health announced they would start requiring COVID-19 vaccines for all employees.

Details of the deaths

As of last Wednesday, the most recent date that information is available, about 38% of all Mecklenburg County deaths were linked to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

The majority of deaths involved adults age 60 and older, Mecklenburg officials said. But there have been 16 deaths among adults ages 20 to 39, as well as 130 deaths among adults ages 40 to 59.

And all but 27 deaths occurred in adults with underlying chronic illnesses.

The stories behind Mecklenburg deaths

Atrium Health nurse Rose Liberto of Charlotte was one of the early victims of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

Liberto, 64, was also the area’s first health care worker who was reported to have died from COVID-19.

Her family had urged her to take a break from work as a critical care nurse at Atrium’s Cabarrus County Hospital, the Observer reported in May 2020.

“She felt so morally obligated,” her daughter Jennifer Liberto said at the time. “She kind of wanted to see this all through.”

Sixty people had died of the virus in Mecklenburg at the time.

Months later, Charlotte-area farmer David Simpson succumbed to COVID-19. The 52-year-old died in January. By that time, more than 600 people had died of COVID-19 in Mecklenburg.

“Like the preacher said at David’s funeral, on the first Friday in April when we open up the farmers market and he’s not there, it’s going to be one of our worst days, and it will be,” David’s father, Darrell Simpson, told the Observer in January.

In March, as COVID-19 deaths in Mecklenburg neared 900, a Charlotte woman died from COVID-19 complications after taking the time to write her own obituary.

Leiah Jones, 33, was a COVID-19 “long-hauler,” meaning she recovered from the virus but was left with long-term damage.

She described herself as a determined, complex and genuine friend and asked people to “please pray and support the ‘long haulers.’”

Rising death toll

This is the timeline of Mecklenburg deaths, based on county public health information.

▪ March 29, 2020: first county death

▪ May 1, 2020: 50 deaths

▪ June 3, 2020: 100+ deaths

▪ July 30, 2020: 200+ deaths

▪ Sept. 1, 2020: 300 deaths

▪ Nov. 3, 2020: 400+ deaths

▪ Dec. 16, 2020: 500+ deaths

▪ Jan. 5, 2021: 600+ deaths

▪ Jan. 19, 2021: 700+ deaths

▪ Feb. 7, 2021: 800+ deaths

▪ March 15, 2021: 900+ deaths

▪ Aug. 2, 2021: 1,000 deaths