More than 2,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in NC, the highest since February

More than 2,000 people are now hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina, five times more than at the start of July as the threat from the delta variant continues to grow.

It’s the first time hospitalizations have risen over 2,000 since Feb. 14, when 2,005 people were hospitalized with the virus.

Hospitalizations have increased every day in N.C. since July 9, rising from 409 to 2,179 as of Tuesday. That’s an increase of 233 from the day before.

And for many in the hospital, the illness is serious. As of Tuesday, 557 patients were in intensive care units. That’s 25% of all adult COVID patients.

There were also 2,985 new cases reported in the state, according to Tuesday’s data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

The state added nine new deaths from the virus, raising the pandemic’s death count to 13,768.

As of Tuesday, 14% of tests were returning positive in North Carolina. That’s nearly triple the state’s goal of 5%, and higher than the day before.

In North Carolina, 62% of adults are partially vaccinated against the virus, while 58% are fully vaccinated.

Those figures are both lower than the nation as a whole. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of Monday 71.1% of adults were partially vaccinated in the U.S., while 61.1% were fully vaccinated.

Among younger people in North Carolina, vaccination rates drop even further. Over the past month and a half, 18- to 24-year-olds have been infected at rates higher than any other group, while children 17 or younger see a surge in cases, The News & Observer reported.

This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 12:09 PM.