Number of COVID patients in Charlotte hospitals resembles ‘a busy winter,’ doctor warns
Charlotte hospitals have seen a sharp increase in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, a Novant Health doctor told reporters Wednesday.
In fact, the number of patients hospitalized in Mecklenburg County as of Aug. 4 is more than four times higher than at the beginning of July, according to county data released last Friday.
And all of Charlotte’s major hospitals are nearing capacity in active staffed beds, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data.
Mecklenburg’s seven major Novant and Atrium hospitals are all above 70% capacity for adult in-patient beds as of last week, according to federal data.
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center is at 91% capacity of active staffed adult in-patient beds and Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center is at 82% capacity of active staffed adult in-patient beds, according to the data.
On Aug. 4, the most recent day of data released by Mecklenburg County, the county reported 191 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 — the highest number since late February.
The total number of hospitalized patients is especially high for a summer, Novant Health Dr. Sid Fletcher said Wednesday.
Novant Health is currently seeing a rate of patients he would expect to see during “a busy winter,” Fletcher said.
Capacity issues
Still, there’s more the hospital systems could do to increase capacity, Fletcher said.
Novant Health has not paused non-time-sensitive or elective surgeries, something it did last year to deal with potential surges of COVID-19 cases.
And hospital systems can add beds to address spikes in capacity, according to a statement from Atrium Health.
Novant Health does not yet need to add additional beds, but could in the future, Fletcher said.
Atrium, along with other N.C. hospitals, is also seeing a “significant increase” in hospitalized patients, the hospital system said in an email Wednesday.
Calls for vaccination
Local health officials and hospital leaders are urging unvaccinated Mecklenburg residents to get the COVID-19 shots as soon as possible.
“As we continue to address the delta variant, vaccination is the best defense for people to protect themselves and those around them,” Atrium Health said in a statement Wednesday. “Over 95% of COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths are people who are unvaccinated.”
Almost half of Mecklenburg County residents are unvaccinated, according to state Department of Health and Human Services data.
The spike in coronavirus hospitalizations is worrisome ahead of the school year and approaching fall and winter, Novant Health’s Fletcher said.
“What’s most troubling about the whole thing is that we feel like this is largely preventable,” he added. Getting vaccinated is “critically important,” Fletcher said. “That’s our way to get back to life how we had it.”
COVID-19 in children
The spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations comes amid an increase in coronavirus cases in children.
Novant Health hasn’t seen a large number of children hospitalized with COVID-19, but doctors have seen big increases in infections among children, Fletcher said.
And the average age of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has dropped.
During the pandemic’s previous peak in January, the average age of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was around 61, he said. Now, the average age is about 44.
That’s largely because older age groups are more vaccinated, Fletcher said.
COVID-19 vaccines are not available to anyone under age 12. That means many school-age children are unvaccinated ahead of the upcoming school year.
Neighboring Gaston County announced this week that nearly one in four COVID-19 cases reported over the weekend were in school-age children.
And in Mecklenburg County, one in five recent cases have been in children under age 18, county Public Health Director Gibbie Harris told county commissioners last week.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 6:30 AM.
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