Here’s How Full Hospitals In Mecklenburg County Are

CHARLOTTE, NC — Even as vaccines begin rolling out to health care workers and offer a powerful tool to fight the pandemic, coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations continue to hit record highs across the U.S.

The latest hospitalization data shows that at least 100,000 Americans or more have near consistently been in the hospital for coronavirus in December. In North Carolina, hospitalizations have steadily increased daily. As of Sunday, Dec. 27, at least 3,123 state residents were receiving medial care for the virus.

In December, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began reporting hospital capacity data at the facility level, which several have used to determine the percentage of hospital beds occupied across the country.

The latest data for Dec. 28 shows how full hospital and ICU beds are in Mecklenburg County, according to the analysis of HHS data by University of Minnesota Hospitalization Tracking Project:

• Hospital Beds: 18 percent occupied
• ICU Beds: 49.6 percent occupied

The HHS data compiled by the University of Minnesota are calculated at the facility level and averaged for each county. Here’s how the model developed by the university measures percentage of hospital and ICU beds occupied by coronavirus patients.

• Percentage of hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients = Seven-day average of total adult and pediatric patients confirmed or suspected/Seven day average of staffed inpatient beds

• Percentage of ICU beds occupied by coronavirus patients=Seven day average of total adult ICU confirmed/Seven day average of staffed ICU adult beds

Community spread of the virus continues to surge throughout Mecklenburg County. As of Dec. 27, at least 60,144 known cases had been reported, along with 540 deaths, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

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