COVID-19 data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released on Wednesday shows a slight increase in reported cases in the past week, but a decrease in hospital admissions. According to the COVID dashboard, there were 242 hospital admissions in North Carolina last week, down 32 patients from the previous week. Around 2% of emergency room visits were for COVID symptoms, unchanged from the previous week. Of the COVID-19 variants detected in North Carolina, about 60% are Omicron and 40 percent are B.A.1. The dashboard showed an increase in COVID-19 virus particles found in wastewater, going from 1.4 million to 2.1 million. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wayne and Swain counties are the only counties in North Carolina with a medium risk for community spread. All other counties have a low risk. NCDHHS reports that 76% of adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 52% of the total vaccinated population have had one booster or additional dose. 38% of children and teens ages 5-17 have received at least one dose.
