More men are dying from COVID-19 in North Carolina than women.

The population of North Carolina according to the US Census Bureau is 51.4 percent female and 49.6 percent male.

The percent of confirmed cases by gender according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) tracts the population pretty closely with 51 percent of the confirmed cases being female and 49 percent male.

However, when you look at deaths according to the NCDHHS, 53 percent of the deaths have been male and 47 percent female.

The fatality rate from COVID-19 in North Carolina continues to drop. According to the chart on the NCDHHS website, it takes 12 days for the NCDHHS to consider the figures final even though there may be small changes even after 12 days.

Which means the last day for which the NCDHHS states that the numbers are reliable and not likely to change is June 22, when statewide nine deaths were reported. That was a big drop from June 21 when 16 deaths were reported and from June 20 when 11 deaths were reported.

The states worst day was May 25 when 32 deaths were reported. The chart of deaths in the state from COVID-19 goes up and down as noted, but the trend is down. The two days that have had the most deaths in June, through June 22, are June 13 and June 14 when 21 deaths were reported both days. It is possible that level of deaths will be reached in the past 12 days for which records are not complete, but from the figures currently being reported that seems unlikely.

The fact that North Carolina had 2,099 new positive test results on July 3 was widely reported. What was not emphasized was that it was the second highest day for testing. More tests results in more positive tests because the percentage of positive tests is fairly steady – varying between a low of 8 percent and a high of 11 percent.

July 4, the number of tests dropped from over 25,000 on July 3 to about 18,500 on July 4, and the number of positive results dropped to 1,400. On July 5 the number of tests went up to 20,000 but the number of positive results dropped to 1,300. So more tests does not always result in more positive tests.