Most major NC COVID metrics comparable to last winter during height of pandemic

RALEIGH, N.C. — Most of North Carolina’s major COVID-19 metrics are now comparable to what they were last winter during the height of the pandemic.

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases reported in North Carolina on Friday was 6,628 -- surpassing Thursday’s amount of 5,900.

The state has not seen a single-day total that high since late January (officials did note that Sunday’s report of 6,892 new cases was artificially higher because of delayed reporting, as was the case on Feb. 3).

This marks the fourth time in the last week the state has reported more than 5,000 new cases in a single day.

The percent of positive tests in the state also rose slightly to 11.6%, from 11.3% the day before. The percentage of positive tests has remained above 10% for more than a week.

Currently, 2,483 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 across North Carolina -- 74 more than reported on Thursday. That number has continued to climb since right after the July 4th holiday weekend, and 339 confirmed COVID-19 patients were admitted into hospitals in the past 24 hours.

There are 635 adult COVID-19 patients in ICUs across the state, another metric that has continued to steadily rise. We last saw ICU numbers that high in late January.

On June 26, the number of ICU patients was at 89.

CDC COVID-19 Transmission Levels by U.S. County:

About 58% of North Carolina’s adult population is fully vaccinated.

In all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear masks in indoor public settings, even if they’re already vaccinated, due to substantial or high transmission rates.

(WATCH BELOW: COVID booster shots coming soon for people who are immunocompromised)