Coronavirus daily update: Wednesday, Sept. 2

A late-summer bounce

In some ways the news is good: North Carolina is no longer on the hot list of states getting the worst of the novel coronavirus. Hospitalizations are down. Doctors are getting better at treating it, and the people are doing a better job containing it.

And on Friday we hit Phase 2.5, which reopens gyms, bowling alleys, roller rinks, museums and a few other types of businesses — but not bars.

But as you can see from this chart in the NY Times, we have finally hit our second wave — we had been trending uninterruptedly upwards from March until mid-July, with a downward slope starting in August. And the new hot spots are Pitt County, Pamlico and Bertie.

Take from that what you will.

Meanwhile we’ve got a new issue out tomorrow, with a lot of great stories to hit in the next couple days.

From the paper

• Election stuff, specifically the Guilford County School Board and the NC Senate.
• A glimpse into our editorial process.
• Wakanda forever!

The numbers

• Today in NC, 1,129 new cases, which is good! 170,553 total.
  • Hospitalizations down to 858!
  • Positive-test rate 7.6 percent, almost a full point higher than yesterday.
• Forsyth County 46 new ones for 6,266. 80 deaths (+4).
• Guilford County clocks 782 new cases for 6,963 total. No new deaths (160).

A diversion

Here’s Season 1 Episode one of “The Black Panther” animated series from 2010: “Black Panther vs Captain America.” Wakanda forever!

Program notes

• For tonight’s featured image, we have “Young Husband: First Marketing,” by Lilly Martin Spencer, from 1854. Taken from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s public-domain collection. And hey: The Met is now open on Fifth Avenue in NYC, if you’re in town. Which is not very likely.
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