‘Not where we need to be.’ Coronavirus hospitalizations on upward path in NC
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,051 COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide, with 97% of hospitals reporting.
That number has been increasing in recent weeks, topping 1,000 Tuesday for the first time since Aug. 21. Hospitals admitted 403 suspected COVID-19 patients Wednesday.
“The fact that over the past few weeks, hospitalizations are stable or increasing, and the number of people who are dying from COVID-19 is stable or increasing, indicates we are not where we need to be,” wrote David Wohl, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases expert at UNC Health, in an email to The News & Observer.
“I worry that the hard and difficult work we did during the lockdown is being squandered,” he wrote.
The numbers reflect an increase throughout the state, rather than a particular spike in any one area.
“There is a small increase in hospitalizations in a number of regions, so that adds up. Five here, five there,” said Tatyana Kelly, vice president of member services at the N.C. Healthcare Association.
Roughly three-fourths of staffed hospital beds are in use. The number of available staffed beds remains at just over 5,000, where it has been with a few exceptions since July, when it hovered closer to 4,000.
The number of empty, staffed ICU beds statewide is 502. That number has remained fairly consistently over 500, with a few drops, since a few weeks over the summer when it hovered closer to 450.
Positive COVID-19 test rate improving
The positive test rate has shown some improvement this week.
DHHS reported that 5.5% of COVID-19 tests came back positive Tuesday, the most recent day DHHS released numbers for. That was down from 6.5% the day before.
State health officials have said they want the average to be 5% or lower.
DHHS reported an additional 2,428 coronavirus cases statewide, bringing the total in the state since the beginning of the pandemic to 224,397.
As of Thursday, 3,722 North Carolinians have died due to the virus, increasing by 29 from Wednesday.
Clinical trial underway at UNC
UNC-Chapel Hill is one of 89 testing sites for Moderna’s Phase 3 clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine, in which 30,000 people are expected to participate across the board.
About 130 people had enrolled in the vaccine trial at UNC as of Wednesday, The News & Observer reported. The goal is to have 200.
As concern mounts that the vaccine approval process is being driven by politics, Moderna and other COVID-19 vaccine developers released a pledge in early September reaffirming their commitment to “high ethical standards and sound scientific principles.”
100,000 downloads of contact-tracing app
North Carolina’s COVID-19 exposure app, SlowCOVIDNC, has been downloaded more than 100,000 times.
North Carolina launched its app Sept. 22, making it available for free in the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
The large majority of the current downloads have been among college-aged students, The N&O reported.
The app shares anonymous ID numbers with nearby phones via Bluetooth and tracks when another phone comes within six feet or closer for at least 15 minutes. If you become COVID-19 positive, and report it to the app via a PIN provided by your local health department, SlowCOVIDNC will tell others if they were exposed and when.
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 1:03 PM.
