UNITED STATES – December 20, 2023 – The U.S. COVID-19 national emergency started in 2020 and ended in May. Therefore, more Americans had healthcare coverage, food assistance, and access to tests, vaccines and medical treatment.
Americans have developed some immunity to COVID-19 from immunizations and previous infection so there is a much lower rate of deaths, hospital admissions, and emergency room visits this year. However, new variants continue to infect people with the most at-risk groups being more susceptible to severe illness.
For the week ending on December 9th, COVID accounts for
- A low rate of hospital admissions in 94 of 100 counties in North Carolina, including Buncombe County, and about 70% of the counties in the U.S.
- About 3% of deaths and a low rate of emergency room visits in North Carolina
Wastewater monitoring may provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. According to the Buncombe & Henderson counties weekly wastewater data ending on December 6th
- The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at the highest level
- The 15-day rate of change has increased to the 10-99% range.
Here’s the CDC’s COVID recommendations:
- Eligible people ages 6 months and older can get the updated vaccine to reduce the risk of severe illness from the latest strains.
- Wear an efficient medical grade mask for extra protection
- Get tested if you have any symptoms
- Stay home if you test positive or do not feel well
- Your doctor may consider medical treatment if you test positive
Listen to the full report below:
Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]
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