COVID-19 hospitalizations, positive cases climb to new highs for this summer in NC
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina topped 600 over the weekend for the first time since early June, as the coronavirus pandemic shows signs of rebounding in the state.
Nearly 3,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported since Friday, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health and Human Services.
A dozen more people died of COVID-19 since then as well, bringing the death toll to 13,535 since the spring of 2020.
The numbers suggest that progress in containing the coronavirus has begun to reverse. The portion of people tested for the virus who were found to be positive jumped to 5.8% on Saturday, above the 5% benchmark at which the virus is thought to be contained. The positivity rate has averaged about 5% over the past week, more than double the weekly average of 2.1% in mid June, according to DHHS.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina had dropped below 400 earlier this month, from a high of nearly 4,000 at the peak in January. It reached 612 on Sunday, including 173 who needed intensive care.
DHHS officials say nearly all of those who have been hospitalized with COVID-19 in recent weeks have not been vaccinated.
State health officials have worried that a more contagious version of the coronavirus, the delta variant, would spread among unvaccinated residents, particularly as more people travel and gather this summer.
As of Monday, 56% of adults 18 and older in North Carolina had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Among those 65 and older, the most vulnerable age group for COVID-19, that number climbs to 83%.
Nationwide, 59.4% of people 18 and older are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This story was originally published July 19, 2021 at 1:16 PM with the headline "COVID-19 hospitalizations, positive cases climb to new highs for this summer in NC."
