COVID hospitalizations in NC top 2,600 for first time in six months
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 rose by more than 130 over the weekend, with North Carolina reporting 2,651 hospitalizations Monday.
That is the highest number of hospitalizations since Feb. 4, when the state was coming down from the pandemic’s winter peak.
Hospitalizations have increased nearly sevenfold since the beginning of July, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services data show.
Among those hospitalized, a quarter, or 665, are being treated in intensive care units.
DHHS reported 3,778 new COVID-19 cases Monday. On Sunday and Saturday, the state reported 5,229 and 5,991 new cases respectively, down from the 6,628 cases reported Friday.
But the number of tests administered statewide are typically lower over weekends, dropping the number of cases reported early in the week.
The number of cases reported each day over the last week exceeds 5,000, over 17 times more than the average on July 1.
The delta variant, a highly contagious mutation of the coronavirus, is fueling the rapid spread, health officials say.
And the spread is primarily among those unvaccinated, as over 90% of new cases and almost all hospitalizations are in those not vaccinated, the state has previously reported.
Among the total population in North Carolina, 48% are fully vaccinated. Among those eligible for the shot, ages 12 and up, 56% are fully vaccinated.
That’s below the national rates for total and eligible population: 51% and 59% respectively, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But vaccinations in North Carolina have started to tick up in recent weeks.
In the past three weeks, health care providers across the state have administered more than 100,000 doses each week.
The week of July 26 was the first time the state had reached this mark since the week of June 21.
Wake County will begin offering third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna to immunocompromised people, per new guidance from the CDC, The News & Observer reported Monday.
Among the tests reported Saturday, the latest available data, 12.8% returned positive. Over the last week of available data, an average of 12.3% of tests have returned positive per day.
State health officials have said that one of the indicators of low COVID spread is a positive rate of 5% or lower.
Over the weekend, DHHS reported 54 deaths due to COVID-19, but it didn’t specify dates of death.
Since the pandemic began last March, 13,880 North Carolinians have died due to the virus, as of Monday.