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NC again seeing red in state virus hot-spot map

After finally stamping out all of the coronavirus "red zones" in North Carolina last month, state officials said Friday that red has popped up again on the map.

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By
Matthew Burns
, WRAL.com senior producer/politics editor
RALEIGH, N.C. — After finally stamping out all of the coronavirus "red zones" in North Carolina last month, state officials said Friday that red has popped up again on the map.

Edgecombe County is now a red zone, with critical spread of the virus. The neighboring counties of Halifax, Nash, Wilson, Franklin and Granville make up five of the state's 20 "orange zones," with substantial viral spread. Harnett, Moore and Hoke counties also are in the orange.

Most of the Triangle and Cumberland County are "yellow zones," with significant viral spread. Wayne and Greene counties are the only ones in the region listed in light yellow on the state alert map, for moderate viral spread, while Lenoir County is the state's lone "green zone," with low spread.

Sixty-three counties have remained in the same tier of the alert system as they were two weeks ago, while 18 have higher levels of viral spread and 19 have lower levels, officials said.

North Carolina’s key metrics for tracking the pandemic have leveled off after several weeks of decline, officials said. Although levels are far below the post-holiday peak in January, most of the state continues to experience significant or substantial viral spread, with concerning increases in younger adult age groups, they said.

The state has been averaging more than 2,000 new coronavirus infections a day over the past week, and about 1,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19.

"We want to see our trends in new cases, hospitalizations and percent positive of tests decline again," Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. "The best way we can do that is by having as many people get vaccinated as quickly as possible and keep wearing our masks when out in public."

One-third of adults in North Carolina are fully vaccinated, and another 12 percent have had the first dose of their two-shot regimen, according to DHHS data. That tracks above the national rate of 31 percent fully vaccinated.

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