NC COVID hospitalizations drop below 500 for the first time since last year

Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have drastically dropped across North Carolina and the country over the past two months.

The number of people hospitalized in North Carolina with coronavirus dropped below 500 on Sunday for the first time since July of last year. CarolinaEast Medical Center, in eastern North Carolina, celebrated last week after discharging their final coronavirus patient.

On average, North Carolina is reporting 1,032 new coronavirus cases each day — just two months ago, that number was more than 30,000.

According to an analysis from the New York Times, Wayne County remains a hotspot for the virus. On average this week, the county reported 108 cases each day per 100,000 residents. That number is much lower when compared to its neighbor Johnston County. Only 11 cases were reported for each 100,000 residents there during the same time frame.

While still relatively low, hospitalizations continue to be elevated in communities on the east coast. The New York Times reports that there 288 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wilmington, more than half of all COVID hospitalizations in the state.

The majority of people who have tested positive with the virus since February have been between the ages of 25 and 49, according to data from the state Department of Health and Human Services

Wake County and south Durham have seen a slight increase in coronavirus cases detected through wastewater, data from DHHS shows. However, that slight uptick is low compared to the number of coronavirus cases detected in January.

The state estimates that more than 2.5 million North Carolinians have had the virus and recovered.

The unvaccinated continue to account for the majority of deaths and hospitalizations, according to a March report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Data shows that American Indian, Hispanic and Black people are at highest risk of catching coronavirus and dying from it.