Hospitalizations in North Carolina and Mecklenburg County hit a new record last week as the omicron variant continues to spread.
Hospitalizations have topped 4,000 in recent days, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. That broke the previous record of 3,992 set in January 2021. Mecklenburg County also set a new record for hospitalizations, breaking a mark also set last January. County Public Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington says Charlotte-area hospitals are “strained but stable.”
Host Mike Collins speaks with hospital representatives to get a view of what the situation looks like at their facilities, how staff is dealing with the toll of another surge and what health-care centers need to do to prepare for potential future variants.
Guests:
Dr. Katie Passaretti - Vice president and enterprise chief epidemiologist for Atrium Health
Dr. Todd Davis - Chief physician executive at CaroMont Health
Claire Donnelly - WFAE health reporter
Correction: Claire Donnelly mistakenly said that 375 Novant Health workers were fired for not following their hospital system's vaccine policy. The correct number is 175.
