Vaccinations rising — but so are some Charlotte COVID trends after weeks of progress
Some of Charlotte’s closely watched coronavirus metrics are no longer improving, even as the region readies itself for expanded vaccine eligibility.
The split picture of a lingering pandemic and the light at the end of the tunnel could likely persist until the region gains herd immunity — when enough people are vaccinated to blunt the spread of infections, including more contagious mutations.
Mecklenburg’s COVID-19 positivity rate climbed to 6.5% in the past week, reversing the county’s hard-fought, yet fragile, progress in nudging the number below the 5% threshold earlier this month.
Wike Graham, deputy director of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management, said on Twitter, responding Friday to the latest data: “We are all over covid, but now is not the time to ignore the data. Frustrating ... .”
On March 9, the average weekly positivity rate dipped as low as 4.6%, according to a Charlotte Observer review of county public health data. Just last week, the positivity rate appeared to stabilize at 5.2%.
While fewer people are dying from the virus and there are fewer patients hospitalized, the volume of new cases — plus the positivity rate and case rate — has inched up in recent days.
“That is a little troubling, and I think part of that is related to the warmer weather we’ve had — people are getting out more. They’re going to restaurants, they’re going to bars, they’re going to breweries...” Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said during a news conference Friday afternoon.
Harris said part of the rise could be attributed to more contagious variants circulating in the community, including strains from the United Kingdom and California. But the region still lacks genetic sequencing infrastructure to adequately monitor for mutations.
“We do know that our children are back in school, which means parents are back at work, out and about more. Teachers are out and about more,” Harris said, emphasizing no single factor explains the uptick.
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COVID-19 testing
Mecklenburg’s testing volume, meanwhile, is holding steady at around 2,500 tests administered to county residents daily. That’s down from 3,300 a month ago.
Testing is still free and widely available throughout Mecklenburg. Some lab results are now available within hours.
“It is a critical part of getting this virus under control,” Harris said of testing.
People who are fully vaccinated do not need to get tested for COVID-19 if they were exposed to an infected individual and are not experiencing symptoms, according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But if they do experience symptoms, they should get tested.
Fully vaccinated people who were exposed to the virus and live in a group setting, such as a detention center, should still plan to get tested and quarantine for 14 days — regardless of symptoms, the CDC advises.
The recent increase in cases locally comes as North Carolina moves into Gov. Roy Cooper’s latest phase of reopening, which allows businesses like restaurants, breweries and gyms to open at 75% capacity indoors and 100% capacity outdoors. Bars can operate at 50% capacity.
As people venture out more into the community, Harris said, it’s critical to avoid crowds and establishments not following the mask mandate. The health director also urged residents to stay vigilant during spring break travel.
“We’re glad there’s less COVID in the community right now, but it’s still there,” said Dr. David Priest, Novant Health infectious diseases specialist, in a separate news briefing Friday.
“We’re still seeing cases — we still have people in our hospitals. That’s pretty flat for a couple of weeks now, but (there’s) still around 100 people are inpatients at our hospitals across our system right now.”
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Latest coronavirus data in Mecklenburg
Most of the recent information on COVID-19 from the health department is current through March 24.
▪ Caseload: Mecklenburg added, on average, 215 new cases per day over the last week, as of Friday. Two weeks ago, the volume was less than 150.
Mecklenburg has recorded 101,603 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported Friday morning.
▪ Deaths: Virus-related deaths have slowed considerably — from an average of six reported each day earlier this year to now an average of one person dying per day in the county.
County officials say 910 residents have died of coronavirus-related complications since the start of the pandemic.
▪ Hospitalizations: The average number of patients dropped to 113 on Wednesday.
That’s a 20% decrease over the last two weeks and an almost 80% decrease since the January surge — a major sign of sustained progress.
Harris cautioned that hospitalizations are considered a lagging indicator, meaning they trail severe weeks behind an increase in cases.
“Right now, we’re seeing uptick in our other metrics,” Harris said. “We’re hoping that we don’t see the same thing with our hospitalizations, and that’s why we need to we need to continue to be vigilant.”
▪ Outbreaks: The number of COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, has plummeted to 12. In early February, the number swelled to 46.
▪ Vaccines: Just under 11% of Mecklenburg residents are fully vaccinated and 17.4% are at least partially vaccinated, according to N.C. DHHS data from Thursday. The numbers do not incorporate vaccinations administered through Walgreens or CVS, Harris said.
