NC Gov. Cooper calls for federal help as Charlotte hospitals struggle with COVID surge

Hannah Smoot
·3 min read
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NC Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday sought federal help in the Charlotte area as hospitals across the state face record numbers of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

The huge surge in COVID infections in recent weeks comes from the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus variant omicron in the Charlotte region and across the state and country.

And North Carolina has set daily records for hospitalizations multiple times throughout January, including a new record set yesterday with 4,741 people hospitalized with COVID, according to the state.

Charlotte’s largest hospital system, Atrium Health, is currently above 95% capacity for hospitalizations, according to the state. The hospital system has already redeployed staff from urgent care and outpatient centers, limited non-emergency procedures and closed specialty centers, the state said in a statement.

On Friday, the governor’s office announced that Cooper, working with Atrium Health, has requested federal support for staffing capacity from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

The state is requesting resources including additional nurses from FEMA to help hospitals deal with COVID capacity.

A White House official said FEMA “is actively working with North Carolina to meet their needs.”

New variants and continuing COVID spikes have caused the city’s larger companies to delay, limit and in some cases backtrack their return to office plans.
New variants and continuing COVID spikes have caused the city’s larger companies to delay, limit and in some cases backtrack their return to office plans.

Unvaccinated and in the hospital

Across the state, 72% of people hospitalized and 83% of coronavirus-related ICU admissions are unvaccinated, according to DHHS.

“The vast majority of people hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated,” state Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services Kody Kinsley said in a statement.

Kinsely urged residents to stay up-to-date with coronavirus vaccinations and wear a well-fitting mask when around other people.

In Atrium Health’s facilities, 156 COVID patients are on life support, according to the hospital system. And 92% of those patients are unvaccinated.

“We need more health providers to ensure the availability and the high levels of care that people rightly expect continues, especially now with each day seemingly bringing a new record number of admissions,” Atrium Health said in a statement to the Observer Friday supporting Cooper’s request for federal help.

Charlotte’s other major hospital system, Novant Health, is treating more than 600 patients with active cases of COVID across its system, according to Novant. And 94% of COVID patients are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, Novant Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest told reporters this week.

Priest said he hopes a slowing in omicron infections in recent days will soon translate into fewer hospitalizations.

“It’s safe to say we’re not through the surge yet,” he said. “It’s important for everyone to continue to try to do everything they can to stay safe and stop the spread of the omicron variant.”

COVID hospitalizations rising in NC

Local experts have noted that omicron spread may be beginning to slow in Charlotte and around the state.

Still, hospitalizations is typically called a lagging indicator — meaning COVID hospitalizations may slow days or weeks after COVID infections begin to plateau, and may even continue to increase, according to the state.

“The vast majority of people hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated,” state Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services Kody Kinsley said.
“The vast majority of people hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated,” state Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services Kody Kinsley said.

Hospitalizations increased 23% last week compared to the previous week, according to NCDHHS.

The state tracks COVID hospitalizations by regional healthcare preparedness coalitions. Mecklenburg falls into the Metrolina Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, along with parts of 12 neighboring counties.

That region has the highest number of COVID hospitalizations across the state, with 1,109 currently hospitalized COVID patients, according to NCDHHS.

The state has previously received federal COVID capacity support, Cooper said in a statement Friday. Earlier this month, FEMA provided 25 ambulances for North Carolina, which have been deployed to 11 counties.

And FEMA has just extended the deployment for those ambulances, along with 50 paramedics, a White House official told a McClatchy reporter.

McClatchy DC reporter Michael Wilner contributed to this article.