92 of NC's 100 counties now in 'red zone' or 'orange zone' for viral spread
North Carolina's hot spots for coronavirus spread continue to expand, state officials said Tuesday.
Sixty-five of the state's 100 counties are now considered "red zones" for critical levels of viral spread, and another 27 are "orange zones" for substantial spread. Only eight remain in the "yellow zone," the lowest level in the state's three-tier alert system, with a significant viral spread.
"This is alarming," Gov. Roy Cooper said in an afternoon news conference.
Two weeks ago, only 48 counties were red zones, with 34 orange zones and 18 yellow zones. The number of red and orange counties has more than doubled in the past month, from 42 to 92. Meanwhile, the number of yellow counties has plummeted by 79 percent in that time, from 38 to eight.
Wake and Durham counties remain in the orange zone, while Orange and Chatham counties are among the few remaining yellow zones. Cumberland County and most of the rest of central North Carolina is a red zone.
The state hit a new high Tuesday, with 3,001 people being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals. Hospitals across North Carolina are now 76 percent full, and only 17 percent of intensive care beds are available.
The Capital Regional Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, which includes Wake, Franklin, Johnston, Harnett and Lee Counties, has the fewest available hospital and ICU beds of the eight regions in the state. Only 16 ICU beds are reported available, and only 189 hospital beds of any kind are open and staffed.
Meanwhile, the Duke Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, which includes Durham, Caswell, Person, Granville, Vance, Warren and Robeson counties, has just 21 available ICU beds.
Another 5,255 coronavirus infections were reported statewide on Tuesday, and the state has averaged more than 6,000 new cases a day over the last week, including topping 8,400 on Friday.
Nearly 6,300 North Carolinians have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early March, and the state is at an all-time high of 59 per day over the last week.
"This virus continues to spread quickly. Don't get numb to these numbers. They have plateaued a bit over the last few weeks, but they are still too high," Cooper said. "We have strong safety protocols in place right now, and we have to follow them."
After putting a nightly 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew in place earlier this month to prevent late-night gatherings where the virus could spread, Cooper on Monday signed an executive order to allow restaurants and bars to sell mixed drinks for takeout and delivery to remove another reason for people to gather in public.
Under the curfew, all alcohol sales for on-site consumption must end by 9 p.m. Takeout and delivery orders of both food and drinks can continue to be filled after 10 p.m.
Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, once again pleaded with people to avoid gathering for holiday celebrations over Christmas and New Year's Eve. If people choose to travel or get together, they said the events should be kept small and held outdoors, if possible, and that people should get tested for coronavirus a few days before going and again a few days afterward.
According to a recent survey of more than 20,000 North Carolinians, about half said they traveled or gathered with people outside their household at Thanksgiving. Among those, only 51 percent said they observed social distancing guidelines, only 37 percent said they wore masks and just 13 percent got tested for the virus beforehand.
"At the end of this unprecedented year, let's recommit to keeping ourselves and each other safe so that we can be here next year to celebrate how far we have come," Cooper said.
"I remain very worried, and at the same time, I'm full of hope," Cohen said, noting that two coronavirus vaccines are now being distributed across North Carolina.
Health care workers started getting their first dose of vaccines last week, and nursing home staff and residents will get their first shots next week. State officials "are huddling," Cooper said, to determine how new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will affect the state's vaccine rollout.
A CDC advisory panel recommended Sunday that anyone age 75 and older, teachers and "essential" workers like supermarket staffers and postal carriers be next in line for vaccinations.
Coronavirus vaccinations in NC
DHHS has added vaccination data to its online dashboard, broken down by county, race, ethnicity, gender and age group. As second doses are given, that data will be included as well. About 24,500 people had received their first shot by Tuesday morning.
The vaccines hold the "promise of better days ahead," Cohen said. "Unfortunately, those days are not yet here."
Rev. Joseph Casteel, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Roanoke Rapids, and Rev. James White, pastor of Christ Our King Community Church in Raleigh, both encouraged people to attend virtual worship services over the holiday to protect themselves and others.
Religious gatherings have been hotbeds for viral transmission in North Carolina, with 40 clusters resulting in 1,945 infections and 32 deaths. That's the highest death toll of any group activity the state is tracking.
"Perhaps we all need to figure out how to create celebrations in the midst of limitations," White said. "We can discover together the freedom to do what we need to do."
