Asheville – COVID-19 levels are rising around Buncombe County and North Carolina, but hospitalizations remain low in the western part of the state.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which tracks levels of the virus that causes COVID-19 from wastewater treatment plants across the state, said Buncombe County had the highest virus levels since April 14. there is Levels tracked in the Buncombe County Municipal Sewer District are currently between 40 levels.th and 60th Percentile compared to previous levels measured at the same location.
This is based on August 2nd data and is the latest available as of August 10th.
“Over the years, we have seen the epidemic and the decline, the rise and fall of the novel coronavirus,” Jennifer Malendor, medical director of Buncombe County Health and Human Services, told The Citizen Times on August 10. We have seen an increase in the number of infected people and an increase in the number of infected people,” he said. It tends to occur during the summer months, but is more frequent during the winter months. This is the natural ups and downs we have seen since it began. ”
Hospitalizations throughout Western North Carolina remain low. According to NCDHHS, as of August 5, the average number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the state in the last seven days was 21. Buncombe County remains in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “green zone,” with the lowest levels of hospitalization in the three-color system. The number of severe cases of COVID-19 in local hospitals has not increased recently.
AdventHealth Hendersonville spokeswoman Victoria Dunkle said in a statement that while the number of people arriving in hospital emergency departments with COVID-19 is increasing, the number is severe enough to require hospitalization. There were no patients. Dunkl said a total of eight patients at the hospital tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week, but all were discharged home.
Chris Parsons, medical director of the UNC Purdee Center for Infectious Diseases, said in a statement that UNC Purdee has not seen a dramatic increase in hospitalizations. Parsons said the hospital still admits an average of two to three COVID-19 patients each day. Less than 10% of the PCR tests performed at the hospital were positive.
Mission Hospital spokeswoman Nancy Lindell said in a statement that the hospital had not seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, and that the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to Mission Hospital in the past week was “11. not exceeded,” he said.
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“Other parts of the state, especially the metropolitan areas, have seen spikes in cases, but in our communities we typically don’t see such increases until weeks later,” Parsons said. Many of the Charlotte-area sewage systems now have the highest percentile of COVID-19 virus levels, below 80%.th and 99th percentile. Raleigh’s lot is between his 60s.th and 80th percentile.
Marendor said he could not predict whether the number of cases would continue to rise, but pointed to ways people could protect themselves from the disease.
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“I hope we have learned through this pandemic that we have great tools to protect ourselves from serious illness,” Marendor added. A booster for COVID-19 is available, he said, pointing to the latest vaccine available in late September. Marendor also said people should wash their hands, cover coughs and sneezes, be tested for illness and stay home when sick.
“The coronavirus is part of our lives. .
Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and Healthcare for the Citizen Times. Email [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please support local journalism. subscription To Citizen Times.
