The new strain of COVID-19 doesn’t appear to be causing much disease in Cumberland County, but health officials say people should be vigilant.
The county has had more than 800 confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past week and nearly 2,700 cases over the past month, according to Health Director Jennifer Green. The latest week’s numbers were higher than the week before, he said.
The number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and emergency room visits in the county has not been “anywhere near as high” as the omicron variant sirge, Green said. Recent trends seem like the effect of the delta variant before the top, he said.
The percentage of COVID-19 cases from the new BA.5 and BA.4 transitions is not available at the county level, but statistics for North Carolina show that the majority of cases in the state are from both, Green said.
Green said the two changes appear to be more contagious than previous changes but are not causing a significant increase in hospitalizations, in part because residents have access to vaccines and treatment.
“Even if they are infected, they are not sick,” he said.
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Hospital numbers
Said Dr. Sam Fleishman, the chief medical officer for the Cape Fear Valley Health system, a few weeks ago the number of patients with COVID-19 at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville was in the mid-20s. See the article : Men’s Health Month: Encouraging Men to Adopt a Healthier Lifestyle. 30s. More recently, it has risen to the upper 30s to mid-40s.
“We’re not seeing a huge increase in hospitals,” he said. “I don’t think we’re seeing too many serious issues with the new reform.”
As of Thursday, there were 37 hospitalized COVID-19 cases, including four in the Intensive Care Unit, Fleishman said.
Many patients who must be moved to the ICU have other serious medical problems in addition to COVID-19, Fleishman said. Some were not vaccinated and those who did receive the vaccine usually did not receive a booster shot, he said.
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In Cumberland County, 84.3% of residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 61.8% are thought to have received two doses, but only 22.1% of those have. get the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Website Management and Security.
According to Fleishman, of the COVID-19 deaths in the hospital this year, 99% had another medical problem. He said only 2% received a booster shot.
Residents who will be inside and especially those who will use public transportation to travel should wear a mask and practice social distancing, Fleishman said. They should also consider getting a COVID-19 test, Fleishman said.
“Rapid tests are now available,” he said.
Green said residents can use the Department of Health and Human Services website to find a “test to treat” location to get a test and treatment in one place.
“We encourage people to make a plan, especially if they are an elderly person or not,” he said.
Fleishman urged people not to take the disease lightly.
“I think people should be more careful and think better,” he said.
Health officials continue to monitor the situation of COVID-19.
“We’re very cautious about watching this,” Fleishman said. “We’re not going to dodge the ball.”
Local news editor Steve DeVane can be reached at sdevane@fayobserver.com.
