SALISBURY — Rowan County crossed 2,000 total cases on Saturday as cases continued on another streak of double-digit increases.

The number of COVID-19 cases on Saturday increased by 18 after increasing by double-digits for almost two weeks, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases to 2,003. Of surrounding counties, Rowan has more total cases than all but Cabarrus, which has 2,453, according to the Cabarrus Health Alliance.

Rowan County’s active cases have hovered in generally the same range, and on Saturday stood at 256, which is also on the higher end of active cases among neighboring counties. Cabarrus, at 549, and Iredell, at 465, have more.

Data from the N.C. Department of Public Safety show that just 13 of the more than 1,300 inmates tested at Piedmont Correctional Institution in Salisbury have tested positive.

Deaths attributed to COVID-19 remained at 50 on Saturday.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the death toll, which only counts Rowan residents, included an employee of the Daimler Trucks plant in Cleveland who was confirmed dead on Thursday after testing positive for COVID-19 several weeks earlier. In a statement, the company said it was saddened to learn ones of its Daimler colleagues died.

“Our sympathies go out to his family, friends and to his co-workers during this time,” Daimler Trucks North America said in a statement. “He was a valuable member of the Cleveland, North Carolina, community and this is a great loss for all of us. We are living through extremely difficult times and this news is very sad for the entire Daimler family.”

Most COVID-19 deaths in Rowan County have occurred in nursing homes, but the number of people who have died after testing positive outside of the facilities, 13, has been rising in recent weeks. County spokesman T.J. Brown said two of the previous four deaths have occurred among people younger than 65.

The county also says 39 of 103 COVID-19 hospital beds are occupied — a number that includes people receiving care locally that live elsewhere — and 13 Rowan County residents are hospitalized. There have been 126 people hospitalized during the COVID-19 outbreak in Rowan County, with an average age of 62.

The average number of people hospitalized across the state, meanwhile, stood at 1,151. There have been 123,878 lab-confirmed cases in North Carolina after 1.79 million tests. The number of people dead after testing positive in North Carolina is 1,964,

Testing locations for August are:

• West End Plaza
1935 Jake Alexander Blvd. W., Salisbury
704-216-8777
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday
Testing is free and open to the public

• Fast Med Clinic
1361 Klumac Road, Salisbury
704-603-1175
Will bill insurance. For non-insured individuals, the cost is $199 for both COVID-19 and antibody testing. No appointments needed.

• North Rowan Family Medicine
Food Lion parking lot
300 North Salisbury Ave., Spencer
704-792-2242
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25

• Novant Health Rowan
1904 Jake Alexander Blvd., Salisbury
704-638-1551
Call for an appointment. Testing criteria may apply

• Novant Health Rowan screening center
315 Mocksville Ave., Salisbury
704-210-7845
8 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays

• Rowan County Health Department
1811 E Innes St., Salisbury
704-216-8777
8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Aug. 12 and Aug. 19
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 7 and Aug. 21
Testing is free and open to the public

• Rowan Helping Ministries
226 N. Long St., Salisbury
704-792-2242
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 17

In other local COVID-19 statistics:

• Cases at congregate care facilities, which include nursing homes, remain at 240.
• COVID-19 continues to disproportionately affect Hispanic residents of the county at 29.06%, or 582 cases. That’s despite Hispanic residents composing less than 10% of the county’s population. A total of 1,084 white residents have tested positive, along with 263 Black residents, five Asian residents, seven American Indian/Alaskan Native residents and one Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander resident. A total of 352 cases are categorized “unknown,” while 291 are other.
• The average age of positive cases is at 42, with a plurality of cases among those aged 18-35, at 637. Residents aged 36-50 comprise 490 cases, while 366 are among the 51-64 age group and 303 are among those older than 65. The number of cases among those younger than 18 continues to rise and is now at 207.
• A total of 1,023 women have tested positive, followed by 980 men.
• Zip code 28147 remains the area with the most cases at 621, followed by 425 cases among the 28144 area and 308 cases among the 28146 area.