ASHEVILLE, NC – April 3, 2024 – Respiratory infections, like COVID-19, influenza and RSV, are characterized by being 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 23rd shows:
- Hospital admission levels are low in every county in North Carolina, including Buncombe County. They are low in almost 99% of the counties in the U.S. and medium in about 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 20th shows:
- The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a yellow level representing the 3rd highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 40th and 60th 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, [email protected]
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