By Natalie Anderson
natalie.anderson@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — An additional two individuals tested positive for COVID-19 in the county on Sunday after 25 new tests had been conducted.

The county has had only four new individuals test positive since Friday, when there was an 18-case jump. Additionally, no new recoveries have been recorded since Friday.

A total of 600 individuals have tested positive, with 255 of those individuals currently positive. There have been 318 recoveries, and 3,339 tests reported. A total of 203 individuals in congregate care facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, which has remain unchanged since Wednesday. Of the total 600 cases, 10 are being hospitalized and 27 have died.

County data on the number of deaths continues to remain unchanged — 19 have been at the Citadel, seven at the Veterans Home and one not associated with a congregate care facility.

North Carolina also saw a more modest increase in positive cases since its highest one-day jump on Saturday. Statewide, 23,222 cases have been confirmed after 336,656 tests conducted, which represents 497 new cases and 7,074 additional tests since Saturday.

A total of 587 are currently hospitalized, and 744 individuals have died.

According to state data on county case totals, Rowan County now ranks ninth for most cases. Mecklenburg County remains the only nearby county with more cases than Rowan County. The next highest is Cabarrus County, with 438 cases and 22 deaths.

In other COVID-19 statistics:

• The average age for positive individuals is 51.3. Individuals age 65 and older make up the plurality of cases, at 180, and the 51-64 age group has now reached 107 cases. However, ages 36-50 and 18-35 continue to climb — at 142 and 148 cases, respectively. A total of 23 cases are among children younger than 18 years old.
• Of the positive cases, 360 individuals are white, 125 are black or African American, three are Asian, one is American Indian/Alaskan Native, 134 are Hispanic, 80 are unknown and 31 are other.
• Females still make up the majority of positive cases, at 310, while males represent 290 positive cases.
• Zip code 28147, which is where the Citadel nursing home is located, remains the area of the county with the most positive cases, at 260. Next is 28144, a Salisbury zip code, with 165 cases. Zip code 28146, which includes part of Salisbury and a large swath of eastern Rowan, currently has 64 positive cases.

Contact reporter Natalie Anderson at 704-797-4246.