SALISBURY — After new positive cases slowed over the weekend, Rowan County on Monday reported one of its biggest increases yet and an additional death attributed to COVID-19.

The Rowan County Health Department on Monday said that one person not associated with a congregate living facility died after testing positive for COVID-19. Other demographic information was not released.

A total of 46 people have died after testing positive from COVID-19 in Rowan County, including 21 from the Citadel nursing home, 15 at the N.C. State Veterans Home, one at Liberty Commons and nine not associated with a congregate living facility. At 81, the average age of the dead remains much higher than that of positive cases or hospitalized.

The number of positive cases, meanwhile, increased by 40 — the fourth-largest increase since the outbreak came to Rowan County. That spike brings the number of total positive cases to 1,718. But recoveries continued to rise as well and the number of active cases only increased by six, to 268.

The Rowan County Health Department now counts 1,404 people as having recovered after testing positive for COVID-19.

There have been 108 Rowan County residents hospitalized and just 12 were hospitalized on Monday.

The state Department of Health and Human Services released more detailed hospitalization data on its online hub Monday. That data groups Rowan County into what’s called the Metrolina Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, which starts on the west in Burke and Shelby County and stretches west to Scotland County. While it includes Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Rowan counties, it does not include Iredell.

According to the new data, the Metrolina Region has more people hospitalized — 317 — than any other in North Carolina. Second, at 258, is the Triad Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, which includes Greensboro and Winston-Salem as well as much of northwestern North Carolina.

The Metrolina region also has the most ventilators in use and available. Though the Triad region has more intensive care beds in use.

In other COVID-19 statistics:

• Hispanic residents continued to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 — representing a larger share of the cases than their portion of the overall population. But the positive case percentage by ethnicity has decreased somewhat for Hispanic residents in recent days — going from the low 30s to 29.69% on Monday.
• The number of positive cases among the 18-35 age group is outpacing any other, not representing 545 cases. In conjunction, the average age of positive cases has now decreased to 42.2 years old.

Testing locations for COVID-19 are as follows:

• Northern Rowan Family Medicine
313 N Salisbury Avenue, Spencer
Today from 8:30–11:30 a.m.

• Rowan County Health Department
1811 E. Innes Street
Wednesday from 8:30–11 a.m.
Friday from 8:30–11:30 a.m.
Testing is free and open to the public.

• Novant Health Rowan
1904 Jake Alexander Boulevard
Call 704-210-7845 for an appointment.
Testing criteria may apply.

• Novant Health Rowan Screening Center
315 Mocksville Avenue
Today from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Thursday from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Testing criteria may apply.
Patients are tested without leaving their vehicle.