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Stanly County, which saw almost 100 new coronavirus cases over the weekend, has now surpassed 600 active cases for the first time this year, according to data from the health department which was posted on its Facebook page Monday evening.

The county currently has 638 active cases, up from the 539 that were reported Friday. It’s also a 182 percent increase from this time a month ago when there were less than 230 active cases.

Stanly has 3,640 cumulative cases, 18 percent of which are currently active. A total of 2,917 individuals who had the virus have recovered while more than 22,000 residents have been tested.

Deaths remained at 85 on Monday, with many of them coming from long-term care facilities, though the health department doesn’t have a specific tally. Cases have rapidly increased over the past month, with seven deaths in that time.

There are 13 people hospitalized, which is a notable decrease from the 22 people that were in hospitals with COVID-19 last week.

Stanly’s rolling seven-day average positivity rate is at 12 percent, per the health department, which matches the overall state average.

With two additional outbreaks, the county now has nine, though the department would not specify where the outbreaks occurred. DHHS, which keeps a running tally of outbreaks that it updates twice a week, lists Stanly as having outbreaks at: Stanly Manor (75 cases and six deaths), Bethany Woods (40 cases), Spring Arbor (27 cases and three deaths) and Premier Services of the Carolinas (three cases). The Albemarle Correctional Institution has two active cases with its cumulative total now at 427.

From Dec. 3 through Dec. 9, Stanly County Schools reported 40 students who were positive with the virus along with 11 staff members, according to data from the school system’s website, an increase from the 20 students and 11 staff members who were positive the week before. Pfeiffer University reports only one active case while 53 people who had the virus have recovered.

According to DHHS’s county data, which examines cases per individual zip code, Albemarle, with its 28001 zip code, still leads the county with almost 1,600 cases and 60 deaths. The zip code has the third-highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the state behind zip codes in Rowan and Nash counties.

Aside from Albemarle, here is how the other municipalities in the county are faring with the coronavirus, according to zip code:

• New London (28127): 671 cases and six deaths;
• Norwood (28128): 370 cases and five deaths;
• Locust (28097): 316 case and zero deaths;
• Oakboro (28129): 240 cases and four deaths;
• Stanfield (28163): 194 cases and one death;
• Richfield (28137): 152 cases and one death; and
• There is no available data for Badin (28009).

Statewide, at least 5,236 new cases were reported on Monday, a decrease compared to daily totals last week. The state has more than 446,000 total cases. There are 2,735 people hospitalized, almost double the number of people hospitalized at the same time last month.

The United States has had more than 16 million total cases since March and just surpassed 300,000 deaths due to COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

To schedule an appointment at the Stanly County Health Department drive-in testing site in
Albemarle, call 704-982-9171. To schedule an appointment at the OptumServe drive-in testing site in Locust, call 877-562-4851. Testing is available at both locations for no cost.