'Matter of time' before omicron variant appears in Lenoir County, said health official

COVID-19 infections throughout Lenoir County appear to be holding steady, even after the Thanksgiving holidays, according to an official from the Lenoir County Health Department and data from the CDC,

Pamela Brown, director of the Lenoir County Health Department said it most likely won’t be several weeks until a change, perhaps a rise, in infection rates appears.

She said this was because people that may have been visiting relatives and friends over Thanksgiving may not show symptoms, or be tested until then. And the data from these cases can take time to be processed.

According to the CDC, symptoms can appear 2-14 days after exposure. Data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) website, which uses information provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 Community Transmission Map, currently indicates a leveling off of infections. Cases are divided into molecular positive cases, which are generally more accurate and take longer, and antigen-positive cases often referred to as “rapid tests,” which are faster but less accurate.

The data spans quarters beginning on Feb. 1 2020 to Nov. 1, 2021., and the first significant spike in cases this year began on Feb. 3 with 12,079 cases and 55 deaths and this was due to fewer vaccinations and people gathering for the holidays. Lenoir county alone in the last 14 days reported 172 cases and 179 deaths. As of Nov.30, 1,157 people were hospitalized with the disease.

According to the data, total deaths examining weekly trends were mostly white males in the 75 and above age range.

More: First omicron case in the US: Where it was detected, vaccine effectiveness and symptoms

Since Nov. 28, there were 1,041 cases reported for that day with seven deaths. Currently, in North Carolina, there have been 1,537,044 cases and 18,776 deaths since the pandemic began. There has been a dramatic downward trend since the virus’s daily numbers peaked on Sept. 11 with 11,337 cases reported for the day and 69 deaths.

Brown said that peak came from when the Delta variant hit in late July. She said the decrease has come from more people being vaccinated and using masks.

As of Dec.1, There are 7,384,712 (72.72%) of people with at least one dose of vaccine in North Carolina as opposed to 5,694,294 (56.07%) of residents. Lenoir county stacks up with a population of 57,227 with 34,700 (60.6%) of people partially vaccinated and 27,780 (48.5%) residents fully vaccinated.

Brown said she believes that people have become more diligent in living their lives during the pandemic. She also said she thinks now that children are being vaccinated that has brought the number of cases down.

“Definitely, (using) preventative measures and hopefully (there is) less virus circulating in the community at this time. Vaccines, masks, distancing, etc. cut down on virus foothold in the community,” she said.

The next few months are uncertain as far as cases go, according to Brown, and with the new omicron variant, she said it’s just a matter of time before we start seeing those cases.

Omicron was first reported in an individual in California on Dec. 1.

She said it is possible that another spike might be seen after the holidays if the virus behaves the way the flu does during the winter months.

This article originally appeared on Kinston/Jones Free Press: Lenoir County and Kinston COVID rates and omicron variant expected