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NCDHHS: COVID-19 trends improving

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published September 22, 2023 at 6:16 AM EDT
3D print of a SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—virus particle. The virus surface (blue) is covered with spike proteins (red) that enable the virus to enter and infect human cells. The spikes on the surface of coronaviruses give this virus family its name – corona, which is Latin for “crown,” and most any coronavirus will have a crown-like appearance.
National Institutes of Health
3D print of a SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—virus particle. The virus surface (blue) is covered with spike proteins (red) that enable the virus to enter and infect human cells. The spikes on the surface of coronaviruses give this virus family its name – corona, which is Latin for “crown,” and most any coronavirus will have a crown-like appearance.

COVID-19 trends in North Carolina are improving.

This week’s numbers from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services showed an 11 percent drop virus particles per person found in samples.

Nearly 8% of emergency room visits were for respiratory viruses, slightly lower than last week, and about five percent of those admissions were for COVID-like illnesses.

There were 623 hospital admissions for COVID-19, and DHHS said that’s a two percent decrease from last week. However, that is still about 200 more visits to the emergency department for COVID than a month ago.

Health officials are also recommending updated booster shots for people six months and up.
Annette Weston
Annette is an award-winning journalist based in Eastern North Carolina. Her career includes professional stops across the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Southeast, recently culminating in a 2026 Region 8 Edward R. Murrow Award for Small Market Radio Best News Series for her work on the Camp Lejeune Justice Act Series. Guided by a passion for human-interest storytelling, she focuses on narratives that touch hearts and connect communities. A mother of four and grandmother of two, Annette enjoys reading and creating epic Halloween costumes in her spare time. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston