Few people with COVID vaccines testing positive, winding up in hospitals in North Carolina

Inside hospitals across the state, fewer people are being admitted for COVID-19, too. The latest data from the state Department of Health and Human services show there are fewer than 550 people in hospitals who have COVID-19.

"The fact remains, though, if you're not vaccinated, you're still at risk," said Dr. Bechara Choucair, the White House vaccinations coordinator. "You're still vulnerable. You're still at risk of getting the virus, and you're still at risk of needing hospitalization."

The majority of the people who have caught COVID-19 over the last few months have been unvaccinated, according to DHHS. Between Dec. 14 – when vaccines began being tracked – and May 12, there have been about 543,300 positive cases across the state, but fewer than 800, or 0.15%, were among people who were fully vaccinated.

Even if you are vaccinated and get COVID-19, the likelihood of ending up in a hospital are slim, according to WakeMed. Officials there told WRAL News that, in the last 90 days, only three of the people needing to be treated for COVID-19 were fully vaccinated. None of them wound up in intensive care.

UNC Health doesn't have a standardized tracking method for that, right now, spokesman Alan Wolf said. However, certain hospitals are gathering some information from specific patients.

"At UNC Rex Hospital in Raleigh, they are checking the vaccination status of patients who have elective surgeries," Wolf explained in an email. "At this point, about 2/3 are fully vaccinated and do not require a COVID test before coming to the hospital for their procedure."

While the number of hospitalizations are trending downward, a quarter of people who have wound up there recently are between 60 and 69 years old, according to DHHS. Choucair said that shows how serious the virus remains for unvaccinated people who are most at-risk.

North Carolina Coronavirus dashboard - Maps, charts and data

Across North Carolina, people in some areas are facing a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Graham, Watauga, Jones and Ashe counties have the highest case rates per capita.

Choucair told WRAL that he believes meeting people where they are will be key to combating hesitancy.

"We do want to make it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated," he said.

The White House’s Month of Action continues over the next few weeks, with hopes of getting 70% of Americans vaccinated by Independence Day.