State's COVID numbers show slight dip in hospitalizations; cases of flu, RSV rising faster
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released the latest COVID, flu and RSV numbers for the state on Wednesday.
This information includes the number of people currently hospitalized statewide. It also tracks wastewater particles to detect the rate by which the coronavirus is spreading.
By the numbers, there was a slight dip in the average number of patients hospitalized with COVID compared to a week ago, currently at a daily average of 459. The week of Oct. 28, there was a daily average of 490 people hospitalized with COVID.
Similarly, wastewater data shows a slight uptick statewide.
Other key takeaways include:
- Another person died of the flu last week. That person was 65 or older. This marks the third flu death in North Carolina this season.
- COVID particles detected in wastewater were up significantly - 48% higher than the previous week.
- While COVID cases detected in lab surveillance are down this week by about 4%, RSV cases are up 32% and flu cases are up 42%.
- While the number of people going to the hospital with the flu is up week over week, totals were still significantly lower than at the same point last year.
When you look at COVID, flu and RSV numbers in November compared to later in the season, numbers tend to be higher in January and February. We'll keep an eye on it as data comes in.
Complete data can be found here.
