NC Hospitals Report Record-Breaking Spike In COVID ICU Patients

NORTH CAROLINA — Hospitals in North Carolina are filling up amid ongoing spread of the COVID-19 delta variant, reporting the biggest one-day increase in intensive care unit admissions since the pandemic began, according to state public health officials.

As of Monday, 557 new COVID-19 related ICU admissions were reported in the state, up from 502 reported the day before, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said.

Mirroring the spike in hospitalizations are newly reported cases. In the past week alone, more than 31,000 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in North Carolina.

"These high-levels of COVID-related admissions jeopardize the ability of our hospitals to provide needed care in our communities," said Kody H. Kinsley, chief deputy secretary for health at DHHS. "The vast majority of our COVID-19 hospitalizations are in unvaccinated people. This underscores the need for everyone to be vaccinated against the virus and use preventative measures to slow the spread of COVID-19."

Statewide, the number of COVID-19 cases rose by nearly 3,000 new cases Tuesday, as the percent positive rate rose to 14 percent. As of Tuesday, at least one out of every four of the 2,179 patients hospitalized in the state for COVID-19 illness was in an intensive care unit, leaving 17 percent of the state's staffed ICU beds available, according to DHHS data.

"Unfortunately, we have more than a 1,000 percent increase in COVID-19 hospital admissions today compared to just three weeks ago,” Dr. Eric Eskioglu, Novant Health’s chief medical and scientific officer, said in a statement.

“The average age of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is also 44, down from 61 in January," Eskioglu said. "More than 90 percent of patients hospitalized with COVID are unvaccinated, and they are sicker than the patients we saw during earlier surges. Entire families are presenting in our emergency rooms for COVID testing. This surge is still preventable. I urge and plead with everyone to get vaccinated now."