COVID-19 hospitalizations hit record high in North Carolina

Published 5:06 pm Monday, January 4, 2021

: This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. In this view, the protein particles E, S, and M, also located on the outer surface of the particle, have all been labeled as well. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

COVID-19 hospitalizations and test positivity rates both are reaching record highs in North Carolina.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Sunday there were a record-high 3,576 people hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s according to data reported by 95% of the state’s hospitals.

Two weeks ago, there were 2,783 people hospitalized with the virus. That’s a difference of 793 people.

On Friday, the state’s health department says 13.6% of COVID-19 tests came back positive. That brought the seven-day average of daily testing results to 14.2%, the highest rate since at least April.

The average is seen as giving a better indication of COVID-19 spread because it better accounts for daily spikes and valleys.

Every day since Christmas has seen a double-digit positivity rate, including Thursday’s record-high 15.5%.

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