COVID cases are on the rise in NC, landing some patients in the ER, data show
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North Carolina is seeing a spike in positive COVID-19 cases as hospitals brace for an uptick in respiratory illnesses heading into fall, according to state and federal health data.
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And we’re not alone. Per the CDC, North Carolina is one of 35 states across the U.S. dealing with a growing number of infections. Cases are trending upward in major counties, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Wake, Durham and the Triad area.
Since students’ return to campus on Aug. 16, Duke University has confirmed at least 16 positive COVID cases, The Chronicle reported. Though that number is probably higher, as some students self-tested or sought care elsewhere.
This is happening as emergency room visits for COVID-like illness creep upward in nearly every part of the state, per the NC Division of Public Health.
A dashboard tracking the spread of respiratory viruses showed about 2% of ER visits for the week ending Sept. 5 included people with COVID-like symptoms, a slight increase from the week before.
That same week, patients admitted to the hospital from the ER who were diagnosed with or experiencing symptoms of a respiratory virus — including, but not limited to the flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) or COVID-19 — jumped from 860 to 887, data shows.
Overall, trips to the ER for COVID symptoms (1.9%) remain low, though recent wastewater samples show a moderate level (4.9%) of virus activity.
It’s unclear exactly what’s driving the rise in cases, though there are likely several factors at play.
The Charlotte Observer reached out to the NC Department of Health and Human Services for more information on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and was awaiting a response.
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Anyone can get sick from COVID, but some populations face a higher risk than others.
Patients 65 and older accounted for nearly half (29) of hospital admissions to the state’s Public Health Epidemiologist Network due to COVID for the week ending Sept. 5, per NC DHHS data.
Conversely, kids aged 0-4 accounted for seven of the 60 hospitalizations reported statewide. Here’s how other groups fared:
Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 tend to spike in the early fall, and vaccines are routinely updated to combat new variants. The new shots rolled out at major pharmacies in September.
“The idea has been, we really do need to update the vaccines a little bit, even more than the previous updates, to reflect the proportions of the variants that are not only circulating but more likely to circulate in the next few months,” Dr. David Wohl, an infectious diseases expert with UNC Health, told The Observer.
Earlier this year, the FDA approved a new medicine, XOCOVA, to prevent people from contracting the virus after exposure.
Wohl said vaccines in addition to other medications are important when it comes to avoiding severe COVID infection.
Eva Flowe contributed reporting.
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