Hospitalized COVID patients reach highest number in NC for third straight day
COVID-19 patients continued to fill hospital beds across North Carolina on Monday as the number receiving medical care for the virus reached new record heights.
The state Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,635 hospitalized patients, up 59 from Sunday’s total. That figure has now hit historic highs for three-straight days and risen 68% in the last month.
“Our hospitalization numbers are alarming,” Gov. Roy Cooper said in a Monday tweet. “We must protect hospital capacity so anyone who gets sick for any reason can get the care they need. It’s up to all of us to prevent our health care system from being overwhelmed.”
DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen has already said North Carolina has started the new year “in our most dangerous position in this pandemic.”
The updated hospitalizations total comes as health officials warn bed space is dwindling statewide. Of those hospitalized statewide, 71% are older than 60.
In Johnston County, hospitals in Clayton and Smithfield hit their capacity during the Christmas break. While DHHS reports empty beds remain statewide, those available for intensive-care patients fell from 424 to 410 Monday.
Testing for COVID-19 continued to ramp up across the state, rising to 7.1 million total tests given during the pandemic, the state reported Monday.
But the rate of positive results reported Sunday, the latest day for which data was available, was 16.5%, or more than three times the 5% sought by state health officials.
Meanwhile, the daily case count continues to skyrocket.
DHHS reported 570,111 confirmed new cases of COVID-19, up 5,187 from Sunday’s total. The death toll from the pandemic has now hit 6,941 statewide, up 31 fatalities from Sunday.
North Carolina saw its COVID-19 cases increase by more than 9,500 on Friday, passing the old mark by nearly 1,000. On Saturday, DHHS reported another 9,000-plus day for new cases.
State health officials are turning their eyes toward vaccination, now in its earliest stages. Wake County leads North Carolina in the number of vaccinated people with 7,767 between Dec. 14 and Dec. 28.
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 12:11 PM.