Mecklenburg COVID hospitalizations nearly doubled in December. More cases loom.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Mecklenburg County have set another new record this week as coronavirus levels across the state continue to climb.
As of Sunday, Mecklenburg saw an average of 407 people with COVID-19 hospitalized over the span of a week. That’s a 90% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since the last week of November.
An average of 214 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the last week of November — a record at the time.
Health officials had warned that gatherings over Christmas could lead to another spike in COVID-19 cases, even as the state deals with a surge from Thanksgiving. Though coronavirus trends are already climbing, the full effects of Christmas gatherings on COVID-19 metrics likely won’t be seen until two weeks after Christmas.
That’s because people exposed over Christmas may not see symptoms for days, and it takes time get COVID-19 test results. And hospitalizations are seen as lagging indicators of COVID-19 spread in a community. Someone could be sick with COVID-19 for days or weeks before needing hospital-level care.
Still, even as COVID-19 levels skyrocket in Mecklenburg and across the state, doctors see a glimmer of hope in recent vaccination distribution efforts.
Roughly 40,000 people received the COVID-19 vaccine in the last week — putting the state’s total vaccinations at 63,571, according to state numbers released Tuesday.
And 5,577 people total have received the shot in Mecklenburg County as of Monday night, according to the state.
Health care workers at risk of COVID-19 exposure have been prioritized for first access to the coronavirus vaccines. Charlotte’s hospital systems, Atrium Health and Novant Health, began vaccinating employees before Christmas.
As of Monday night, Atrium has vaccinated nearly 5,100 employees, according to the hospital system. And Novant Health had vaccinated about 7,700 employees as of Monday, a spokeswoman said.
The Mecklenburg County Health Department also received a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the state. The health department will be in charge of vaccinating first-responders along with staff and residents some long-term care facilities in the county, Public Health Director Gibbie Harris has said.
Two COVID-19 vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, have been distributed by North Carolina after receiving emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both vaccines require two injections, spaced weeks apart.
No one in North Carolina has received their second injection for either vaccine, according to the state. The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine is given three weeks after the first — Moderna’s two doses are spaced four weeks apart.
So even when people are vaccinated, health officials still want them to follow social distancing guidelines and mask recommendations. And local health officials have urged Mecklenburg residents to continue following COVID-19 restrictions in the meantime.
Vaccine doses by county
Mecklenburg County has vaccinated the second-highest number of people in the state as of Monday night, trailing Wake County, according to the state. Wake County has vaccinated 7,767 people as of that time.
These figures, updated by the health department every Tuesday, show where the vaccine doses have been administered so far, based on the recipient’s county of residence:
▪ Mecklenburg: 5,577
▪ Cabarrus: 762
▪ Gaston: 1,125
▪ Union: 926
▪ Iredell: 915
▪ Catawba: 1,259
▪ Lincoln: 284
▪ Cleveland: 293
▪ Stanly: 87
▪ Rowan: 275
Mecklenburg data
As of Dec 27 — the last date demographic data was publicly available — county coronavirus data show:
▪ In the past week, an average of 407 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County.
▪ Mecklenburg’s positivity rate has been “fairly stable” over the last two weeks. Over the last week, an average of 11.8% of people tested for COVID-19 in Mecklenburg were positive.
▪ Deaths and hospitalizations continue to be most prevalent among older adults. About half of those people who have died from COVID-19 locally were connected to “active outbreaks” in long-term care facilities or nursing homes.
▪ About 80% of all people diagnosed with coronavirus in the county have since recovered and been released from isolation, meaning enough time has passed since their symptoms stopped.
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 3:03 PM.
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