NC COVID-19 hospitalizations keep climbing, ICUs reaching capacity

RALEIGH, N.C. — Nationwide, hospitalizations have climbed to the highest point in six months.

A day after North Carolina reported the largest single-day jump in hospital ICU admissions since the beginning of the pandemic, that number again rose.

Currently there are 586 adult ICU COVID-19 patients. That number was at 557 on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, 4,963 new COVID-19 cases were reported in North Carolina while the percent of positive tests declined slightly to 12.8%.

2,304 people are currently hospitalized across the state with COVID-19 -- the highest number of hospitalizations since February.

Weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations among people ages 20-49 are at an all-time high, health officials said.

“These high levels of COVID-related admissions jeopardize the ability of our hospitals to provide needed care in our communities,” said Kody H. Kinsley, chief deputy secretary for Health at NCDHHS. “The vast majority of our COVID-19 hospitalizations are in unvaccinated people.

342 confirmed COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals in the past 24 hours.

So far this week, the NCDHHS has reported more than 16,000 vaccine doses administered. About 58% of North Carolina’s adult population is fully vaccinated.

In all but two 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.

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

Some local hospitals are running out of space for ICU patients.

The New York Times uses data reported from hospitals across the country, and here’s what they found:

• Novant Health in mint hill is at 100% capacity in its ICU.
• Atrium Health in University City is at 95% capacity.
• Atrium Health Union in Monroe is at 91% capacity.
• Novant Health in Huntersville is at 99% capacity.

Channel 9 has reached out to Atrium and Novant and each told us that they can increase ICU capacity to handle spikes in admissions.

Another problem hospitals are seeing is that their patients are getting younger. Since early July, 18-24 year-olds make up the highest rate of new COVID cases in North Carolina, followed by 25-49 year-olds.

″What we’re seeing in the hospital is a very different patient population,” said Dr. Lisa Pickett, Chief Medical Officer at Duke University Hospital. “They are much younger. And the seriously ill are almost uniformly unvaccinated.”

The numbers from the state back that up -- they show that 94% of recent cases are in people who are not vaccinated.

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