NC reports more than 20,000 new COVID cases, continuing to set single-day record
North Carolina continued to top its record for daily COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, logging more than 20,000 cases in a single day for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 20,770 new cases since Tuesday, bringing the state’s total of confirmed coronavirus cases to 1,763,614.
Since New Year’s Day, the state has reported 76,947 new cases of COVID-19.
North Carolina reported more than 18,000 new daily cases on the last two days of 2021, and the first day of 2022.
The previous record of single-day cases was more than 12,000 reported in February, during last winter’s surge, The News & Observer reported.
Wednesday’s record-setting number of cases came a day after Gov. Roy Cooper urged North Carolinians to protect themselves from the highly transmissible omicron variant by getting vaccinated and getting a booster shot if they are eligible, and by continuing to wear masks.
The state’s top health official, DHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley, said on Tuesday that omicron, which was first detected in North Carolina in early December, is “rapidly crowding out all the other variants.”
“It is safe to assume that every positive we are seeing is omicron,” Kinsley said during a press conference, his first since taking over control of the state health department from Dr. Mandy Cohen at the start of the month.
The percentage of tests returning positive everyday continues to rise as well, jumping from around 11% two weeks ago to 22% a week ago, and reaching nearly 32% as of Jan. 3, the date for which the most recent data is available.
Hospitalizations on the rise
State health officials have previously said omicron may be between two to three times as contagious as the delta variant, and four to six times as contagious as the original strain of COVID-19.
Public health authorities have also said early evidence shows the new variant may cause less severe symptoms.
But hospitalizations are continuing to rise rapidly as well.
As of Jan. 4, the date for which the most recent data is available, a total of 3,099 people were hospitalized across North Carolina. That’s up nearly 83% over the last two weeks, from the 1,694 people who were hospitalized on Dec. 21.
The number of adults in ICUs across the state continues to rise as well.
A total of 634 adults were in ICUs with COVID-19 as of Jan. 4, up from 447 adults two weeks prior.
“Individuals that do not have immunity still have severe risk potential here,” Kinsley said on Tuesday. “Even if a smaller percentage of those cases end up in the hospital eventually — thinking about the number who are unvaccinated, thinking about how quick this is moving. It’s still a serious risk for both those individuals and the hospitals.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 2:01 PM with the headline "NC reports more than 20,000 new COVID cases, continuing to set single-day record."
