New County Alert System Unveiled In NC As COVID-19 Cases Rise

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina public health officials rolled out a statewide color-coded COVID-19 County Alert System pinpointing viral hot spots around the state Tuesday. Currently, at least 10 counties in North Carolina have critical community spread of COVID-19.

The new alert system, which also offers specific recommendations for county-wide actions, is also an attempt to target community spread without rolling back restrictions, officials said.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 illness rose to a new high of more than 1,500 patients Tuesday in North Carolina as the percent of positive tests also rose, to nearly 9 percent. At least 1,501 patients were hospitalized for coronavirus-related illness, representing a nearly 32 percent jump in hospitalizations throughout the state since Nov. 1.

SEE ALSO: COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Deaths Jump In North Carolina

The number of known coronavirus cases in North Carolina jumped by 3,288 cases Tuesday, increasing the state's total reported cases to 317,495, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data. Deaths also rose by 38 since Monday, increasing the number of lives lost to the virus in the state to 4,852.

All North Carolina counties are experiencing high levels of transmission of COVID-19, according to top state public health officials, but some are affected more than others. The new alert system will make available localized data, such as case rates and impact on medical resources, more accessible. Counties will be designated as red, orange or yellow depending on the rate of local spread, based upon three specific metrics:

• Case Rate — the number of new cases in the last 14 days per 100,000 people
• Percent Positive — percent of tests that are positive over 14 days
• Hospital Impact — percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations, COVID-19 related visits to the emergency department, staffed open hospital beds and critical staffing shortages over 14 days

Counties will stay in the colored tier for at least four weeks. The color tiers indicate:

• Red — critical community spread
• Orange — substantial community spread
• Yellow — significant community spread

According to a map slide presented during a news conference unveiling the new system, counties with current red alerts include: Avery, Yancy, Wilkes, Alexander, Davie, Gaston, Hoke, Columbus, Sampson and Wilson.

There are 43 counties currently designated as orange, with substantial community spread.

Communities in red and orange counties will be advised to limit mixing between households, minimizing the number of people in social circles, reducing public interactions to mainly essential activities and avoiding settings where people congregate. Businesses in those communities will also be advised to use telework whenever possible, cancel non-essential travel, and avoid indoor meetings or events that include more than 10 people. Public officials in those counties will be advised to step up mask and gathering limit enforcement, and encouraged to adopt local ordinances with civil penalties.

"This system will help our counties make decisions about what more can be done to slow the spread of the virus," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday. "The whole state is experiencing widespread transmission. Cases across the country are surging, forcing states to go backward. Right now our metrics are increasing, not surging. But a surge can happen quickly."

State health officials want businesses, faith leaders and local officials in red or orange counties — those with elevated spread — to also do what they can to help bring down case rates, Cooper said.

"If our metrics keep moving in the wrong direction, the state could impose additional orders, either at a local or statewide level," Cooper said.

Last week, in a bid to curb the increasing transmission of coronavirus throughout the state, Gov. Roy Cooper announced a new executive that reduced the maximum number allowed for indoor gatherings from 25 to 10. The new executive order, which went into effect Friday, is set to remain in place through Friday, Dec. 4.

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