CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — Health leaders in Cleveland County urged vaccinations Monday afternoon, saying more young people are getting COVID-19 and there's a direct correlation between vaccination rates and positive case numbers.
Health Director Tiffany Hanson was joined by Dr. Inga Kish, chief medical director for Atrium Health's facilities in Cleveland, Kings Mountain and Lincoln, for the update on the "dire" COVID-19 situation. Kish said there have been 16,000 positive cases in Cleveland County since the start of the pandemic, but unlike the first wave, more young people are getting sick.
"Cleveland County is in a crisis," said Doug Bridges, chairman for the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners.
Kids 17 and under is the fastest-growing category for cases and more people are needing greater care with severe cases. Over the last five weeks, there have been almost 40 deaths in Cleveland County, with the average age being 66. Over the last 14 days, the county has seen 1,400 new cases with an average of 78 hospitalizations each day.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 data tracker shows that 16.5% of tests in Cleveland County were positive in the past seven days. The CDC reports 44.5% of eligible people are vaccinated against COVID-19 and 15 people have died from the virus in the past week.
Health officials with Cleveland County said the delta variant is partly to blame -- 97-99% of all COVID-19 reported in the county is delta.
North Carolina health officials reported 3,257 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. There are currently 3,323 people hospitalized statewide. As of 12 p.m. Sept. 20, 68% of adults in North Carolina have taken at least one dose of the vaccine, with 63% of adults being fully vaccinated.
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