ASHEVILLE, NC – March 27, 2024 – Respiratory infections, like COVID-19, influenza and RSV, are more prevalent during the winter months. With the recent onset of spring, the winter surge of respiratory infections has passed. However, over the past 3 years, COVID-19 infections have also surged in August. Therefore, the weekly update will continue to report on COVID-19 and restart influenza and RSV updates in the fall.
The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on March 16th shows:
- Hospital admission levels are low in every county in North Carolina, including Buncombe County. They are low in more than 98% of the counties in the U.S. and high in less than 1%. Admissions have decreased in the U.S., North Carolina and Buncombe County from the previous week.
- About 2-3% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 3rd lowest level of 6 groups.
- Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are minimal in North Carolina. This is about 1% of all ER visits, the lowest level of 5 groups
Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard for the week ending on March 13th shows:
- The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at an orange level representing the 2nd highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 60th and 80th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
- The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has decreased from the previous week, between -99% to -10%, the lowest level of 2 groups for a negative rate of change.
Listen to the full report below:
Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, healthyasheville@ashevillefm.org