COVID Up Among Younger Adults In NC As Vaccine Eligibly Expands

NORTH CAROLINA — While coronavirus metrics continue to remain stable overall in North Carolina, COVID-19 confirmations and hospitalizations are growing among younger adults in the state, according to public health data.

COVID-19 cases among 18-24-year-olds in the state account for about 14 percent of the state's more than 923,000 cases. About 7 percent — or 9,040 — of the nearly 127,000 total cases reported in the past year in this age bracket have been confirmed in the past five weeks, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data.

When it comes to hospitalizations, adults between the ages of 18 and 49 averaged about 29 percent of those needing medical care in the state during the past week.

"It's not surprising that this virus is going to be circulating among folks who are not vaccinated," DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen said Tuesday during a news conference.

The news comes one day before vaccine eligibility is set to open up for anyone 16 years old and older in the state on Wednesday, April 7. Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only vaccine offered that is approved for those 16 and up, while Johnson & Johnson and Moderna are approved for those 18 years old and up.

"The cases we are seeing — not surprising — are going to be in folks who tend to be less vaccinated," Cohen said. "What we know is that those over 65 … are really getting vaccinated at a high rate. It's our younger population that has not yet been eligible for a vaccine and starting tomorrow, everyone 16 and up will be eligible for vaccine."

North Carolina reported 870 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday and a positivity rate of 7 percent, DHHS said.

Cohen said that the state remained in a good position due to stable trends and that it has fewer coronavirus variants circulating, unlike other states that are seeing a rise in COVID spread.

"We're not seeing that yet, but that's why we need to keep our guard up," she said.

"North Carolina’s COVID-19 metrics have remained stable over the past month as we have cautiously eased restrictions," Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday. "Our percentage of tests returning positive remains steady and the number of hospitalizations have declined."

As of Tuesday, more than 38 percent of adults in North Carolina were partially vaccinated and almost 26 percent were fully vaccinated, DHHS said.

"Particularly important is that our most vulnerable population, those 65 and over, is gaining protection every day," with about 73 percent having had at least one shot and more than 65 percent fully vaccinated, Cooper said.