Just six NC counties now have critical COVID-19 spread, DHHS says
Six North Carolina counties have critical COVID-19 community spread, a decrease from the 27 reported on Feb. 22, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
North Carolina uses a color-coded county alert system based on local hospital impact, percent positive rates and new case rates. Red is the most severe and indicates the effect of the pandemic is “critical.” Orange represents “substantial” effect and yellow represents “significant” effect.
The six red counties—Iredell, Surry, Person, Perquimans, Sampson, Montgomery—are down overall from the 65 reported on Dec. 22, the highest the since the alert system was initiated. Thursday’s report accounts for the lowest since the system started.
There are no red counties in the Triangle. Wake and Johnston are orange while Durham and Orange are yellow.
Hospitalizations fall below 1,300
North Carolina reported 1,290 hospitalizations Thursday, the first time since Nov. 11 that fewer than 1,300 people have been in the hospital with COVID-19 across the state.
DHHS reported 2,502 new cases, an increase of nearly 400 from Wednesday’s new case count.
But over the last week, DHHS has reported an average of 2,154 cases per day, an average that has fallen from the pandemic high of over 8,600 on Jan. 12.
Among COVID-19 tests reported Tuesday, the latest day with available data, 4.2% were positive, the fourth time in the past week of available data that the state has been under the 5% target that health officials say is necessary to control the spread of the virus.
But the seven-day average from Tuesday is still slightly above that mark at 5.2%.
COVID-19 data of the day
Case and hospitalization data reported by DHHS are preliminary and subject to change upon further investigation. Here are additional statistics reported Thursday, with changes from the previous day:
- Total cases: 868,056 (+2,502)
- Deaths: 11,399 (+36)
- Tests: 10,396,113 (+54,814)
- People hospitalized: 1,290 (-13)
- COVID-19 adult ICU patients: 326 (-6)
- Available ICU beds: 547 (+26)
- Available inpatient beds: 5,220 (-168)
- Patients on ventilators: 941 (-12)
Inpatient and ICU beds are not all used by COVID-19 patients, according to DHHS.
Deaths do not all occur on the date they are reported. DHHS updates its numbers as information becomes available. For example, according to the latest DHHS data, the deadliest day of the pandemic was Jan. 15 when 120 people died. The number of deaths assigned to that date has increased by 20 since the end of January.
Vaccine statistics reported Thursday:
- First doses arrived: 1,772,400
- First doses administered: 1,522,971 (86%)
- Second doses arrived: 1,030,825
- Second doses administered: 913,296 (89%)
Vaccine doses administered in North Carolina through the federal, long-term care program:
- First doses arrived: 145,900
- First doses administered: 122,208 (84%)
- Second doses arrived: 145,900
- Second doses administered: 85,610 (59%)
Across the state, a total of 2,644,085 doses have been administered. As of Wednesday, 998,906 North Carolinians are fully vaccinated, having received second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Just six NC counties now have critical COVID-19 spread, DHHS says."