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NC's COVID-19 hospitalization rate is declining, but there still aren't enough rooms

With state numbers down 10% from a week ago, fewer North Carolinians are in the hospital with COVID-19, but local doctors say hospitals are still at their limit.

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By
Brett Knese
, WRAL multimedia journalist
RALEIGH, N.C. — With state numbers down 10% from a week ago, fewer North Carolinians are in the hospital with COVID-19, but local doctors say hospitals are still at their limit.

At UNC Rex, doctors explained there are several factors contributing to the slight decline in the number of hospitalizations.

One reason could be the use of monoclonal antibodies to treat people with COVID-19, a treatment doctors say is working but is still not the best way to fight and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Dr. David Wohl with UNC Health told WRAL News the vaccine is the best tool to fight the virus, saying hospitals will continue to face capacity problems until more people get vaccinated. According to Wohl, beds are still nearly full in many local hospitals, and ICU capacity is maxing out, with over 90% of those patients unvaccinated.

“Look, we are a big country of 310 million people," Wohl said. "Even if 10% of us remain unvaccinated, that’s a lot of folks that could get sick and fill up our hospitals.”

According to the state Department of Health and Human Services, only 52% of North Carolinians are full vaccinated.

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