Mecklenburg County is now categorized in the yellow zone in the Center for Disease Control’s Community Level tracker for COVID-19 spread after a few weeks of steady increases of COVID-19 numbers, according to county public health director Raynard Washington.
“These increases are related to what I would suspect is due to the increased activity in the community,“ Washington said. “This increased transmission began shortly after a number of the spring holidays, including Easter and other events and spring break.”
The CDC’s yellow zone is triggered by a community passing 200 cases for every 100,000 residents, Washington said. The increase in positive COVID-19 cases has been less dramatic than previous COVID surges, but the county’s public health department is still watching the numbers closely.
“It's really important to take those additional precautions to make sure we're protecting each other and also just encourage everybody to stay prepared,” Washington said.
While cases have recently risen more than in previous months, Washington said that the COVID-19 hospitalizations are at manageble levels. Every day, there are about 81 positive COVID-19 patients hospitalized, which — while that is a lot — does not place an extreme burden on the medical system, he said.
“Certainly we're concerned and we're watching this closely,” Washington said. “But our hospital systems are stable. And the impact on them is, at this time, not significant.”
People who are more likely to have severe COVID-19 cases, such as those with preexisting conditions or older individuals, are encouraged to take extra steps in order to stay safe. But Washington says other members of the community should also take additional safety measures.
“I encourage folks to continue to take the precautionary steps again that really are not burdensome to avoid further spread of the virus in the community,” Washington said. “We're not suggesting folks don’t go about their daily lives and to not return to their usual routines. Just take some tools along with you so that we can do so as safely as possible.”
Washington advises residents to stay up to date with their vaccines, consider masking up, and avoid gathering in groups when not feeling well. Plus, if someone feels like they might have COVID-19, they are encouraged to get tested.
“I also encourage people that COVID is still real,” Washington said. “It's certainly a health threat, so it's important to take those precautions.”