‘COVID is preventable:’ NC hospitals renew vaccine urgency as hospitalizations rise
COVID-19 cases are once again on the rise in Mecklenburg County and North Carolina, a trend that concerns local doctors. And many of those cases are likely delta variant cases, a more contagious version of the virus, experts say.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Novant Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest told reporters Tuesday.
Novant Health has seen an increase of hospitalizations in recent weeks, especially among younger, unvaccinated people. The average age of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 is now 47 years old. Earlier in the pandemic, the average age was 61.
And almost all hospital patients are unvaccinated, Priest said. “The serious (cases), the hospitalized — 99 plus percent of the time — are those who are unvaccinated,” he said.
The average age of hospitalizations have gone down largely because older people are getting the vaccine. In North Carolina, 86% of residents age 65 and older are at least partially vaccinated, compared to 59% of residents age 18 and older.
And across all ages, 49% of NC residents have gotten at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccines.
But until more people get vaccinated, North Carolina will continue to see hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, Priest said.
“It’s really, really unnecessary now,” he said about those hospitalizations and deaths. “Essentially, COVID is a preventable disease now.”
Concerning increases in COVID rates
Atrium Health has reported an increase of COVID-19 hospitalizations too. In fact, infectious disease expert Dr. Katie Passaretti said coronavirus hospitalizations at Atrium have doubled in recent weeks.
“We’re nowhere near where we were at the worst of things,” she said. “But certainly the rate of increase over the past couple of weeks is concerning.”
Last week — for the first time since May — the state recorded two days with more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases per day.
Mecklenburg’s COVID trends
Mecklenburg’s COVID-19 trends, including hospitalizations, daily cases and positivity rate, are all increasing too.
“All of our numbers are going in the wrong direction,” Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said Friday.
Priest hopes the rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations will serve as a “wake up call” to get the vaccine.
“The likelihood that you’re going to get COVID if you’re not vaccinated is really just getting higher, day by day,” he said.
And eventually, most people will have COVID-19 antibodies, Priest said — either by getting the vaccine or by getting the virus itself.
“It’s much safer to get your antibodies from a vaccine than it is to get COVID and risk serious complications,” he said.
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