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Like Parts of the Nation, North Carolina Sees COVID Spike

While few are calling for mask mandates and other extreme measures — yet — health experts wonder if it's just a matter of time before the country struggles with how to handle another new wave of infections.

COVID miami.jpg
Patients give themselves COVID tests at a testing site at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium in Miami.
Mike Stocker / South Florida/Sun Sentinel
(TNS) - State health officials are seeing increases in four key metrics they use to determine how COVID-19 is spreading and affecting health systems.

And North Carolina isn't alone in seeing a resurgence of the coronavirus.

Nationwide, cases have been gradually rising for the past month. New York City this week raised its COVID-19 threat level and encouraged residents to voluntarily wear masks. Also, coronavirus cases are continuing to increase in California, prompting one health official to warn that the state is heading into the next wave of the pandemic.

Health officials say the latest uptick is being fueled by a rapidly emerging lineup of omicron subvariants — each apparently more contagious than the last.

While few are calling for mask mandates and other extreme measures — yet — health experts wonder if it's just a matter of time before the country struggles with how to handle another new wave of infections.

At the moment, locally and across the nation, the number of new cases hasn't reached a concerning level.

In fact, Guilford County's COVID-19 community level spread remains "low," according to metrics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Statewide, it's the same story. While the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals across the state increased, the number was manageable — 373 for the week ending April 30. That's compared to 256 the previous week, according to data released Wednesday by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Newly-reported cases also increased with 12,509 confirmed in the state through last Saturday — up from 9,800 the previous week.

In Guilford County, public health officials reported 271 new cases on Wednesday — 2,169 total — and no deaths.

Locally, 32 coronavirus patients were being treated on Wednesday in Cone Health hospitals, according to the Greensboro-based health system. Of those patients, 26 are unvaccinated and six are fully vaccinated.

The percentage of all emergency room visits statewide for patients with COVID-19 symptoms slightly increased for the first time since the beginning of March. It was 3% for the week ending April 30, compared to 2% the previous week, according to the DHHS report.

Another metric that health experts are watching closely is the number of COVID-19 virus particles found in wastewater, which has been shown to be an early indicator of how quickly the virus may spread without relying on individual test results.

In the state's latest report, 12.2 million coronavirus particles were found in wastewater samples last week — up from 11.3 million the week prior.

To put that into context, 100 million COVID-19 particles were found in wastewater samples in late January during the peak of the omicron surge.

Throughout the pandemic, health officials have been touting vaccines and boosters to reduce the risk of infection as well as curtailing severe illness and death. To that end, at least 53% of North Carolina's vaccinated population have received at least one booster shot or additional dose of vaccine, the DHHS report showed. Also, 76% of adults have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, and 38% of children ages 5 through 17 have been given at least a dose.

The Tribune News Service contributed to this report.

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