North Carolina COVID-19 cases jump 50% from the previous week

Reported cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina increased 50% this week compared to the previous week. According to new data released Wednesday by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, 7,279 cases were reported on the week ending 4/16/22. That’s up from 4,851 the previous week. COVID-related hospital admissions in the state increased slightly from 242 patients to 278. Nearly 2% of emergency room visits were for COVID symptoms. NCDHHS also reports an increase in COVID-19 virus particles found in wastewater, going from 2.1 million the previous week to 5.1 million this week. More than 77% of the COVID variants detected in North Carolina in the last two weeks were omicron BA.2 and around 22% were BA.1. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are five counties in the state with a medium risk of community spread, two of which (Wayne and Beaufort counties) are in Eastern North Carolina.