NC’s COVID-19 hospitalizations rise, but now represent patients’ full hospital stay
North Carolina reported an increase in coronavirus-related hospitalizations Friday, with the latest data showing 1,423 people are hospitalized for COVID-19.
That increase of 144 new people sets a record and represents the highest number of people hospitalized for the coronavirus since the pandemic began.
But the number is artificially high Friday because of a reporting change and “should be viewed with caution,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Cohen said Thursday that some of the coronavirus data reported on the state’s dashboard will be artificially high or low due to changes in reporting methodology to comply with federal guidelines.
The hospitalization numbers are artificially high because of a change in reporting requirements from the federal government. Previously, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention required that hospitals report patients only when they are only under isolation precautions, about 21 days.
However, hospitals are now required to report patients who are in the hospital for the entire time they are there, so potentially more than 21 days.
Today’s number, 1,423, up from 1,267 yesterday, accounts for this one-time change, but hospitalization numbers will continue to be higher as a result.
The state reported 1,769 new COVID-19 infections Friday, down from Thursday’s 2,893 cases.
This number, along with data on tests and death metrics, however, represents another reporting change. In this case, that data is considered artificially low because of another change in reporting methodology. According to a news release, DHHS changed the time when it pulls these metrics for its dashboard. Today’s data reflects a 10-hour period, instead of a 24-hour period.
This decrease will only appear Friday, and future data will include a standard 24-hour period, the release says.
Earlier this week, Gov. Roy Cooper extended his executive order for Phase 3 because of rising coronavirus trends in cases and hospitalizations. While most of Phase 3 restrictions remain in place, a new limit on indoor gatherings — a reduction from 25 to 10 — goes into effect Friday at 5 p.m. The order will now expire Dec. 4 at 5 p.m.
Hospitalization numbers continue to increase
Hospitalizations have been rising in recent weeks before the reporting change. The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 surpassed 1,000 on Oct. 7 and quickly surpassed 1,100 on Oct. 12. The number has surpassed 1,200 seven times since then.
In a press briefing Thursday, Cohen expressed concerns about hospital capacity in rural areas, which are experiencing high rates of COVID-19 cases. She said that increased hospitalizations in those areas create challenges for smaller, under resourced hospitals.
DHHS said it’s prepared to support hospitals in case of a surge by providing emergency supplies, staffing and potentially additional space, a department spokesperson told The News & Observer in an email.
The department is also prepared to implement plans to support the transfer of patients across a healthcare system or into alternate care sites, such as Sandhills Regional Medical Center in Hamlet, if hospital capacity is overwhelmed.
Demographic data
The dashboard also includes new demographic data for COVID-19 cases, showing the breakdown by age group, gender, race and ethnicity. The data will be displayed weekly and by the total since the start of the pandemic.
The data show that 60% of all cases since the start of the pandemic have been among white people, 22% have been among Black people, and 29% have been among Hispanic people.
According to 2019 Census estimates, white people make up 70.6% of the population of North Carolina, Black people make up 22.2% and Hispanic people make up 9.8%.
In a press release Friday, DHHS cautioned there may be a lag in data availability because demographic information is collected through case investigations by local health departments. It’s also not available for all cases, when people can’t be reached or choose not to disclose their personal information.
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 1:50 PM.
