Iredell County Reports Peak Number Of COVID Cases: ICHD Official

IREDELL COUNTY, NC — Iredell County is experiencing a peak in coronavirus cases the likes of which haven't been reported since January, according to the county's top health official.

In the past week, Iredell County has reported more than 700 new COVID-19 cases, an increase of about 5 percent over the week prior, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID Data Tracker. At least 59 new patients were admitted to Iredell hospitals in the past week, an increase of about 20 percent, the CDC said.

"The increased contagiousness of the Delta variant has caused us to reach numbers similar to what we experienced during our peak in January at a much quicker pace," Iredell County Health Director Jane Hinson said in an email to Patch. "Our daily case count and hospitalizations are very similar to what we experienced during our peak on COVID-19 cases in early 2021."

There is one unique difference in the cases this time around, however.

"We are also seeing more cases in younger adults and children," Hinson said. "We are encouraging everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible and continue wearing a mask indoors regardless of vaccination status."

One way to gauge the impact COVID-19 is having on children is through exposure rates recorded in area schools.

As of midday Friday, Aug. 20, Mooresville Graded School District reported 243 students in quarantine and at least 51 current positive cases.

SEE ALSO: 'Pandemic Not Over': Unvaccinated Patients Fill Iredell Hospitals

Mooresville Graded School District's first day back to school the first week of August made it one of the first school districts in the Charlotte metro region to resume classes for a new academic year at a time when school districts across the state and country are grappling with the feasibility of masking mandates.

Late last month, MGSD leaders voted to make masking optional for students and teachers when classes resumed Aug. 2, saying that enforcing a mandatory mask policy would be difficult to enforce and disruptive to learning. Four days into the new school year, however, the school district abruptly called for immediate universal masking in all school district buildings beginning Aug. 6 due to COVID spread among the district's seven schools.

The recent increase in cases throughout the county, particularly in schools that have already started classes, doesn't surprise Hinson.

"The Delta variant is twice as contagious as the original strain, so we would anticipate more cases in the schools," she said. "We commend Mooresville Graded School System transitioning to mandatory marks on August 6th. "

About 40 percent of Iredell residents are fully vaccinated, however, the lagging pace is starting to pick up, she said.

"Since July 12, we have seen an increase in the number of Iredell County residents receiving the COVID-19 vaccine," Hinson said. "Over the last two weeks, more than 1,000 Iredell County residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine per week, compared to 600 each week for the first 2 weeks in July."

More shots are needed in the arms of Iredell residents, according to the county's top hospital officials, who reported earlier this week that hospitals are filling up with COVID patients, about 90 percent of whom are unvaccinated.

Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville, for example, has experienced a 1,200 percent increase in COVID patients in the past three weeks. As of Tuesday afternoon, it reported more than 50 COVID patients, a dozen of whom were in the Intensive Care Unit.

"It's easy to think that what you see on the news about hospitals in other states being overwhelmed is just happening elsewhere, but that's not the case," said John Green, President & CEO of Iredell Health System. "It's happening here, in Iredell County, and we need the community's help to change that."