Is North Carolina having a surge in COVID-19 cases? Everything you need to know.
COVID-19 is ticking up. Again.
North Carolina wastewater surveillance shows higher levels of the virus. Triangle hospitals are reporting more COVID-related admissions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned of a “late summer wave.”
Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a Duke infectious disease expert, breaks down what you need to know:
Is NC in a COVID surge right now?
Sort of.
In the Triangle (and across the country) cases have ticked up. In the last several weeks, the number of people admitted for COVID-19 has more than doubled in Duke Health’s three hospital systems. UNC Health has 42 COVID patients, up from a recent low of 19 in late June, a spokesperson for the health system said last week.
Still, compared to the past few summers, the number of COVID cases is relatively low, Wolfe said.
“If you put that in context with the worst of the omicron wave, we’re nowhere close to those sorts of levels,” he said.
At Duke Health, he said, influx of patients is not straining hospital resources. But Wolfe also emphasized the virus can cause severe illness for individual patients, especially if they are immunocompromised or elderly.
Why are cases higher right now?
This uptick in cases is not surprising for most infectious disease experts, Wolfe said.
Since the pandemic started, case numbers have bumped up in late summer and then surged in the winter, he said.
“We typically get a once-a-year influx of flu — maybe COVID is a twice-yearly virus,” he said. “If this little summer peak represents anything, it probably represents that we should be expecting a larger winter peak.”
Human behavior could also play a role in why cases are high right now, he said. For example, he said the virus could have an easier time spreading if people congregate for the Fourth of July.
Our “collective memory” of the virus might be waning from the last time most people were given a COVID booster or were infected, he said. This might make the newest booster shot, which will become available this fall, especially important.
What variants are spreading right now?
The XBB subvariant of omicron is still dominant in the United States, as it has been for several months.
This subvariant is slightly better at evading natural immunity from prior COVID infections and vaccine-generated immunity than were previous variants. The XBB variants do not appear to cause more severe illness than previous dominant variants, Wolfe said.
The newest booster shots will specifically target this subvariant.
Should you be doing anything differently now?
This uptick is not likely to have a big impact on the “average Joe’s” life, Wolfe said.
He recommended brushing up on basic COVID hygiene, like washing your hands or staying home if you have a runny nose.
Even if COVID-19 does not pose a serious threat to you, he said people should be mindful of those who are not so lucky.
“Bear in mind that there are some folks around you for whom this is still a big deal,” he said. “I continue to have patients who die in my transplant clinics because of this.”
Teddy Rosenbluth covers science and health care for The News & Observer in a position funded by Duke Health and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.
This story was originally published August 5, 2023 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Is North Carolina having a surge in COVID-19 cases? Everything you need to know.."
