NC could see 10,000 COVID cases a day due to omicron variant — now dominant in US
Gov. Roy Cooper urged North Carolina residents to test for COVID-19 before holiday gatherings as state health officials warn the omicron variant could trigger as many as 10,000 COVID-19 cases a day in January, echoing a post-holiday surge seen earlier this year.
Both Cooper and state health officials called a briefing Monday to warn that nearly every hospital in the state is fighting omicron cases. The state has recorded more than 10,000 cases in a day just a handful of times since the pandemic began in March 2020. Several of those came in early January.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, outgoing Secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said the omicron variant is moving quickly enough to become the dominant variant in the state by the first week of January. CDC officials said Monday omicron accounted for 73% of new infections last week, making it the dominant variant in the nation.
“Then we may have both delta and omicron side by side,” she said.
Cooper repeated his calls for vaccine boosters — a third shot if they’d previously gotten two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a second shot if they’d previously gotten one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Cooper said the state is not considering any mandates at this point. He reiterated a focus on getting as many people vaccinated as possible with Cohen emphasizing people use “layers” of protection — masks, testing and vaccinations. That includes booster shots as the most effective way to combat the pandemic’s ongoing threat and variants.
“Many people are going to get infected, including some who are vaccinated, but the most important difference between the vaccinated and unvaccinated is how sick you get,” Cooper said. “The evidence is clear that vaccinated and especially boosted people are so much safer.”
The public briefing came just six days after their previous one — an unusual timetable sped up by the highly contagious omicron and reflected in urgent messages from Cooper and Cohen.
In guidance released Monday by Cohen, the department called for people to get tested one to two days before indoor gatherings with people from outside of their household and to get tested before (1-2 days) and after traveling (3-5 days). The guidance also calls for wearing a mask, keeping gatherings small and meeting outdoors or in larger spaces, if possible.
“You can act now to best protect your family and friends,” Cohen said.
Strain on hospitals
Cohen said omicron is four to six times as contagious as the original virus and will likely set record-high caseloads. She said people should travel only if they are fully vaccinated and boosted and to get tested a few days in advance.
“I imagine that many of you, like me, are frustrated to head into this holiday season under the shadow of this virus,” she said. “It’s urgent to protect yourself and your family and friends.”
The variant’s spread has already reached the Triangle as Durham County reported six confirmed cases, and Orange County reported its first last week.
A recent study suggests omicron could trigger a spike so significant that hospital cases will pass the state’s totals during the pandemic’s peak in January.
This month, the state has seen the number of patients hospitalized with COVID rise from 1,214 to 1,630 — a 34% increase. The study says those numbers could increase sixfold unless vaccination boosters increase.
Incoming DHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley said 78% of inpatient beds are full statewide, and intensive-care beds are 81% full.
There are 451 cases per 100,000 people among unvaccinated people compared to 134 cases among vaccinated people and 48 cases among those who have gotten the booster, according to late November data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Despite omicron’s spread, delta remains the dominant COVID-19 variant circulating in the United States, according to the CDC. As of Monday, omicron had reached all but five states.
As of Monday, 58% of the state is fully vaccinated, according to the NC DHHS dashboard.
Duke University will require COVID booster shots for all students and employees after winter break, The News & Observer reported earlier Monday. The private college in Durham begins its spring semester Jan. 5.
Cooper suggested residents search for testing locations, free options and home-kit orders at www.dhhs.gov/gettested.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 2:19 PM.
