NC COVID hospitalizations increase by nearly 200, reaching new high
Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations increased by nearly 200 people Tuesday, reaching another new high in a month already filled with them.
The state Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,735 hospitalizations Tuesday, an increase of 181 from Monday. On Nov. 30, there were under 2,000 hospitalizations in North Carolina.
New coronavirus cases Tuesday increased by 5,236, the 10th highest daily increase of the pandemic and the 10th time in December that the state has reported over 5,000 new cases in a day.
The percentage of tests returned positive Sunday, the latest day for which that statistic was available, was 10.9%, bringing the seven-day daily average to 11%.
State officials have said that they want that number at 5% or lower, but North Carolina hasn’t been that low since Sept. 24.
The state reported 26 deaths Tuesday, bringing the total since the pandemic began in March to 5,881.
DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen told reporters Tuesday she is worried about hospital staffing but has seen teamwork across hospitals.
“If one is stretched, another helps out,” she said. “For us in North Carolina, it’s not physical space but rather a limitation on the people” that is of most concern.
NC receives first vaccines, more to come
The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in North Carolina Monday morning.
Duke Health in Durham, Atrium Health in Charlotte and Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem received the first shipments as health care workers treating COVID-19 patients are the first in line to receive the vaccine.
Nearly 86,000 vaccine doses are expected to go to more than 50 hospitals across the state this week.
The vaccine was developed by the German pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
“It’s a limited supply for now, but this is a remarkable achievement for science and health,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a tweet after the shipment arrived. “We all need to keep wearing a mask and acting responsibly while we get as many people vaccinated as fast as we can.”
Cooper told reporters during his weekly press briefing Tuesday that state officials won’t know how much of the vaccine North Carolina will get next week until Friday morning.
He said he and other governors on a regular COVID-19 call with Vice President Mike Pence said they need more turnaround time. Cooper said they must tell the federal government by 8 p.m. Friday where to ship the next vaccines. Federal officials responded that they would work on the “cadence” of vaccine shipment information, he said.
Cohen said if the Food and Drug Administration approves the Moderna vaccine this week, then North Carolina could get vaccines to all 100 counties by the end of next week.
“The more time we have to plan, the better, as we get into this,” she told reporters Tuesday.
Cooper said distribution involves a lot of logistics, “but I’m confident we have a plan in place to get this vaccine out as quickly and effectively as possible.”
Compliance and holidays
State and local leaders are dealing with the “COVID fatigue” as the virus continues to spread. In November, Cooper’s administration introduced a statewide, tiered county alert system that shows which counties are under the most strain. On Friday, his office sent a letter to local governments advising them to consider civil penalties for violating restrictions.
The state is just days into Cooper’s latest executive order, which includes a modified stay-at-home order. There is a curfew in place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly, with exceptions for things like work, health care and grocery shopping.
Cooper and Cohen cautioned against potentially spreading the virus during December holiday gatherings. Hanukkah is being celebrated this week, followed by Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The 10 p.m. curfew remains in place until at least Jan. 8, when the current order expires. The state is also still under a mask mandate.
Cohen urged North Carolinians to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance not to travel for the holidays. If you do, she said, get tested beforehand, though she cautioned that is not a free pass.
For holidays, “keep it small, keep it outside and wear masks all the time,” she said.
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 12:47 PM.