Mecklenburg County officials, health-care providers prepare for more COVID-19 cases

Local health-care officials are preparing for the worst as the novel coronavirus explodes across the country. Mecklenburg County reported 259 positive COVID-19 cases as of Friday morning. That's a 27% jump in one day. Nearly half of the cases are found in people ages 20 to 39, said Gibbie Harris, county public health director. About one in five reported cases in Mecklenburg has required hospitalization. One in 10 patients who tested positive has been released from isolation, Harris added, giving…