249 New Cases In 14 Days: Cornelius COVID-19 Update

CORNELIUS, NC — The spread of coronavirus in Mecklenburg County increased by nearly 4,000 known COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

The news comes as Charlotte's three largest health systems joined together Thursday to warn the community that metro hospitals are filling up to capacity with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients.

In Cornelius, at least 249 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the past 14 days in the 28031 zip code, according to the Mecklenburg County Health Department.

Overall, at least 3,511 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Cornelius, along with 26 deaths, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data.

According to county public health officials, this week an average of 13 percent of those tested in the county were positive for coronavirus, representing a slight decrease in trends in the last 14 days.

Hospitalizations, however, are steadily increasing.

"During the past week, an average of 451 individuals with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County," representing an increase over the last two weeks, MCHD said.

SEE ALSO: Metro's 3 Largest Hospitals Fill With Unvaccinated COVID Patients

The surge in cases is having a direct impact on hospital capacity in the Charlotte metro region.

"Quite frankly, beds are scarce," Dr. Sid Fletcher of Novant Health said Thursday during a news conference. "We are running short on resources."

As of Thursday, Sept. 2, Atrium Health, Novant Health and CaroMont Health — the Charlotte metro's three largest health systems — reported 933 hospitalized COVID patients, of whom 857, or 92 percent, were unvaccinated. Of the 126 COVID patients on life support, 122 — or 97 percent — were unvaccinated.

"That's nearly 1,000 people hospitalized for COVID-19. That's really concerning to us," Fletcher said.

The news comes as North Carolina hospitals report that nearly 3,800 patients are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 around the state, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. North Carolina reported 7,901 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, as only about 50 percent of those eligible to get a vaccine are considered fully vaccinated.

"The takeaway, the thing I want to make sure you hear, is the hospitals are backed up," Fletcher said. "We are incredibly full," he said.

Hospital emergency departments are seeing higher than average volumes at a time when medical teams are weary, with less staff working longer hours to manage an illness that is largely preventable with vaccinations, he said.

"We have bed space. We can make the physical space, we can do that. We have the PPE. We have the equipment. The thing we're really challenged by is the staffing," Fletcher said. "Right now, we're functioning, but we're really just managing that."

The hospital systems are finding COVID patients to be sicker and requiring a higher level of care.

"Every single facility in all of our footprints continues to be very strained and have challenges with capacity right now," said Dr. Katie Passaretti of Atrium Health.

"The burden of COVID in our healthcare system is being brought by unvaccinated individuals," she said.

As of Sept. 3, about 49 percent of eligible Mecklenburg County residents were fully vaccinated, according to the CDC Covid Tracker.

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