As COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in NC, focus turns to increasing cases in rural areas
For the second day in a row, North Carolina set a new record for coronavirus-related hospitalizations Thursday as state health leaders said they’re concerned about the increasing spread of cases and deaths in rural counties.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said almost twice as many new cases have been reported in North Carolina’s rural areas, compared to urban and suburban counties. COVID-19-related deaths in rural counties now account for the majority of the state’s 4,706 deaths, according to a new report DHHS released Thursday on COVID-19 in rural areas.
“I think they are communities that largely were spared earlier in the year,” Cohen said a Thursday news conference. “Now the virus has hit these communities.”
She spoke Thursday about a variety of issues related to the state’s coronavirus response, including a push for people to get tested for COVID-19 before the holidays. The state is also sending thousands of tests to public and private colleges across the state to help students get tested before returning home for the holidays.
Cohen said the rise in rural areas can be attributed to several factors but includes people letting down their guards about wearing masks, especially in social settings and other gatherings.
“That doesn’t mean I’m not worried about urban areas,” she said.
The state’s three largest counties — Mecklenburg, Wake and Guilford — still account for the highest number of cases every day because of their large populations, she said. But in terms of cases per capita, rural counties are seeing a faster spread, she said.
The majority of cases in rural counties are increasingly white and non-Hispanic, Cohen said, compared with previous months.
North Carolina reported an additional 2,893 new cases of coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total to 303,454. The state surpassed 300,000 cases less than two months since it passed 200,000 in September.
Thursday’s count is lower than the state’s record for daily COVID-19 cases set Wednesday, when 3,119 were reported in one day.
Earlier this week, Gov. Roy Cooper extended Phase 3 of the state’s coronavirus restrictions to Dec. 4 and reduced the limit of indoor gatherings from 25 to 10 people.
Cohen said she and Cooper don’t want to go backwards on the level of restrictions, such as a widespread shutdown.
“At this point in the pandemic, asking folks to make that kind of a sacrifice is going to be challenging,” Cohen said at Thursday’s briefing. “We have tried in North Carolina to meet folks where they are and ask them to do simple things that don’t require us making a big economic impact.
“If we get to that place where we have to go backwards to save lives we will, but we don’t have to get to that place,” Cohen said.
Cases are surging across the country. Weekly infection reports reached record levels in more than half the country in early November, according to The New York Times.
In just eight days, the U.S. broke the record for most new cases in a single day five times. The country reached an all-time high daily tally of 142,860 cases Wednesday.
Hospitalizations increase
There are currently 1,279 people hospitalized in North Carolina, according to NCDHHS, with 97% of the state’s hospitals reporting. Wednesday’s record high was 1,251 hospitalizations.
The state still has ample hospital space for patients across the state, Cooper said Tuesday. In North Carolina, there are 4,780 empty hospital beds and 443 empty ICU beds.
But public health officials are concerned that the surge will continue as the weather gets colder and as people gather for the holidays.
Rural areas also have reduced capacity, which is why Cohen said she is highlighting those areas now to curb the spread before those hospitals get overwhelmed.
“Healthcare can be harder to access in those communities,” Cohen said. “Most rural hospitals are small, and some are already feeling stretched to their capacity limits.”
The trend is being seen across the country. Nationwide, 65,368 people were hospitalized on Wednesday, up from Tuesday’s record of 61,964, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
According to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, hospitals across the U.S. will need hospital beds for COVID-19 patients by January 2021, when the institute expects the current wave to peak.
In April, an estimated 69,000 beds were used by COVID-19 patients. In July, there were an estimated 62,000 beds used.
Cohen said K-12 schools that have reopened for in-person education are not driving COVID-19 viral spread in North Carolina. Rather, it is lack of following safety precautions of masks, washing hands and social distancing.
State to test college students before holiday travel
Cooper announced Thursday the state is providing COVID-19 tests to colleges and universities before Thanksgiving and holiday breaks. Schools across North Carolina will receive 74,470 federally-funded rapid antigen tests, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The tests sent by the state will supplement the schools’ existing stock of tests, Cohen said Thursday.
“We encourage everyone to plan ahead and get a COVID-19 test before they leave campus or gather with friends and family over the holidays,” Cohen said in a news release. “But even if a test result is negative, it’s not a guarantee.”
The state will host community testing events in some college towns, too. Cohen told reporters that this is the first time they are encouraging testing for people regardless of if they have symptoms or exposure to COVID-19.
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 12:57 PM.
