ASHEVILLE, NC – December 14, 2022 – The CDC reports that the community level for Buncombe County is low for the week ending December 6th. Most of the counties in North Carolina are low and 1 county is at a high community level. Most of the counties in the U.S. are at a low level with less than 10% of the counties at a high level. For a county at a low community level, the CDC recommends:
- You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
- If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask in a public indoors space and take additional precautions.
The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on December 3rd indicate:
- The data from the last 2 weeks is incomplete. With the best available data, last week’s total cases are 229, up 26% from 182 the previous week.
- 67% of the total population have received their initial vaccination series. Unchanged over the past 17 weeks.
- 27% of people with their initial vaccination series have had the new bivalent booster up 1% from last week.
- The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 40 and has increased by 2 since last week, and of ICU patients is 4 and has decreased by 4 from the previous week.
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:
- Stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
- People with any COVID symptoms should get tested
- People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home
Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.
An updated COVID-19 booster is now available for eligible persons 6 months and older. This new booster targets 2 versions of the COVID virus, the original virus and the new dominant BA.4 and BA.5 variants. Eligible persons must be at least 2 months after any prior COVID-19 shots and have had the initial vaccination series. The CDC advises that people who recently had COVID consider delaying their boosters until 3 months after their symptoms started or 3 months after a positive COVID test if they were asymptomatic. The updated booster shot is available at the Department of Public Health Coxe Avenue vaccination clinic, pharmacies, community health centers and rural health clinics.
Listen to the full report below:
Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, healthyasheville@ashevillefm.org