Health Team

NC's coronavirus positivity rate jumps to 7.5% ahead of holiday travel

1,112 North Carolinians were hospitalized with the virus on Tuesday, which is the most the state has seen in 18 days. More than a fourth of those patients were on a ventilator, according to data from the state Department of Health and Human Services.

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Maggie Brown
, WRAL multiplatform producer
RALEIGH, N.C. — As people across the country prepare to travel and meet relatives for a more "normal" Thanksgiving dinner, coronavirus cases are ticking upward.

While cases are not at rates seen last November, the number of people falling sick from COVID-19 in the U.S. has risen by 16% from a week ago.

1,112 North Carolinians were hospitalized with the virus on Tuesday, which is the most the state has seen in 18 days. More than a fourth of those patients were on a ventilator, according to data from the state Department of Health and Human Services.

More than 7.5% of tests reported in North Carolina over the past 24 hours came back positive, according to state data released Tuesday. The day before, the state reported a positivity rate of around 6%.

The World Health Organization warns that someone's risk of contracting COVID-19 is high if the positivity rate in a community is above 5%.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading expert on infectious diseases, said on ABC This Week that unvaccinated communities are the "major source" of coronavirus infection.

Many North Carolina counties with a large share of unvaccinated people are reporting high case numbers, state data shows. Sampson County, for example, has reported more than 18,000 cases per 100,000 residents and less than 50% of residents are vaccinated. By comparison, Wake County has reported around 12,000 cases per 100,000 residents and nearly 70% of its residents are fully vaccinated. 

More than a third of Americans eligible for the coronavirus vaccine has not yet received their first dose, according to a CNN analysis of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fauci attributes the recent uptick in cases to more people spending time indoors as immunity from the virus wanes.

How concerned should I be if I'm fully vaccinated?

Fully vaccinated families can safely enjoy the holidays mask-free, Fauci said.

"Get vaccinated and you can enjoy the holidays very easily. And if you're not, please be careful," he told CNN.

Dr. Keith Armitage, an infectious disease expert at Case Western Reserve University, said that vaccinated people should still wear a mask in large, indoor crowds.

“The delta variant has really brought us back to an earlier time in the pandemic,” he told the Associated Press.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against travel unless you are fully vaccinated. If you are unvaccinated and still plan to travel within the United States, you should get tested for COVID-19 one to three days before your departure and again three to five days after returning.

"If you are gathering with a group of people from multiple households and potentially from different parts of the country, you could consider additional precautions," the CDC says.

If you think you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, experts with UNC Health say do not participate in any in-person events.

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