RALEIGH, N.C. — In new data released Thursday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported the highest daily increase in COVID-19 cases and the highest number of COVID-related hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic.
The news comes the day after the state announced the highest number of people hospitalized with the virus since the start of the pandemic.
The NCDHHS reported 44,833 new COVID-19 cases Thursday -- but said the number is inflated because of an error with a lab’s testing data.
“During Dec. 31, 2021 through Jan. 11, 2022, some laboratory results from GENETWORx laboratory were not submitted to NCDHHS,” the NCDHHS said. As a result, 36,473 test results (including 10,791 positive results) from this period were not included in data on the NCDHHS data dashboard. This issue did not cause any delays in results being sent to patients or providers. The issue with submission of results from GENETWORx to NCDHHS has been resolved; case and test data reported on Thursday, Jan. 13 will be higher as it will incorporate data that would have been reported on earlier dates.”
If the 10,791 cases are removed from Thursday’s case total, that still leaves the state with 34,042 new cases -- which is an all-time high; it’s an 8,597-case increase and about a 33.8% increase from the numbers shared the day before.
Thursday’s data showed 4,275 people in the hospital with the virus. just the day before, the 4,098 patients reported in the hospital was the highest since the start of the pandemic, but Thursday’s increase of 177 patients means it now has the highest reported number.
NCDHHS also shared it is being more specific in reporting vaccination statuses. It added state-level and county-level metrics to its dashboard for people who are vaccinated with at least one booster or additional dose. The former “Fully Vaccinated” metric is now “Vaccinated with Two Doses or One Dose J&J.” The booster/additional dose data will be shown by population (age 5 or older, 12 and older, 18 and older, and 65 and older) to reflect the percent of the vaccinated population who is eligible and has received at least one additional or booster dose.
Mecklenburg County's 7 day percent positive rate is still incredibly high. But it has slightly fallen for two straight days pic.twitter.com/krsK9vWlhB
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) January 13, 2022
The rate of people who tested positive for the virus hit 30.1%, a less than 1% decrease from Wednesday’s rate of 30.9%.
19,850 North Carolinians have reportedly died from the virus.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services tracks the availability of beds in intensive care units across the country. On Thursday, they said the following numbers of ICU beds were available in the Charlotte area:
>> To see the complete collection of data, click here.
| Hospital | ICU beds available |
|---|---|
| Novant Presbyterian | 12 |
| Carolinas Medical Center (Main) | 19 |
| Atrium Pineville | 0 |
| Novant Matthews | 0 |
| Novant Mint Hill | 0 |
| Novant Huntersville | 0 |
| CaroMont Health Gaston County | 16 |
| Atrium Health Cabarrus | 6 |
| Piedmont Medical Center | 8 |
| Lake Norman Regional | 1 |
| Atrium Health Union | 0 |
| Atrium Health Lincoln | 1 |
On Thursday, President Joe Biden said in a news conference that his administration will announce plans to make N95 masks available to Americans for free. The details of the plan will come next week, Biden said.
UNC Charlotte researchers monitor wastewater as national data shows potential omicron peak
A group of researchers at UNC Charlotte are helping monitor the COVID trends in our area by gathering data from our wastewater.
Researches say wastewater is an indicator because people start shedding the virus before they are sick. In some parts of the country, this data is dropping off, alluding to a potential peak of the omicron variant.
But that’s not happening here yet.
Classes are remote at the university while Charlotte and the world deal with the omicron wave. In the Boston area, there are signs the region is past the peak with the COVID levels detected wastewater dropping substantially.
UNC Charlotte is conducting similar studies, something students say sounds odd but makes sense.
“I think it is kind of weird, but I get it,” said freshman Jordan Bielecky. “It is a good way to know whether we have COVID or not.”
UNC Charlotte researchers say they are detecting higher levels of COVID-19 in the wastewater on campus and as of Jan. 11, they’ve seen an increase in viral concentration levels across all Charlotte wastewater sites.
It’s not just Charlotte. Statewide, the NCDHHS says COVID levels detected in wastewater are continuing to increase. But UNC Charlotte researchers say there is some hint of plateauing in a few areas.
>>To find out more about the state’s wastewater monitoring, click here.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are shattering records across the country. The US Surgeon General said we should be prepared for several more weeks of high cases and record hospitalizations before the omicron variant peaks and declines nationwide.
Dr. Vivek Murthy said a majority of these hospitalizations represent people who are unvaccinated.
“To me, it’s heartbreaking because every one of those lives that’s lost, I wonder about whether that death could have been prevented. In the vast majority cases it could have been,” Murthy said. “So that’s why it’s so important right now that we recognize that while this may go on for a few weeks more, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves, and to protect the people we love.”
(WATCH BELOW: Atrium reschedules wellness programs to make room for patients in need of immediate care)
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