CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's been six months since we've been in the pandemic and Dr. Mandy Cohen says how North Carolinian's behave over the holiday weekend will determine how the virus spreads in the next coming months.
From pool parties to bars and beaches, people are getting ready for one last summer outing. But it's mass gatherings like those that have health officials fearful of what could happen in Fall.
"What we are seeing is, this can get away from us really quickly," Dr. Mandy Cohen said.
Dr. Cohen says there can't be a repeat of what we saw at the start of summer.
"What we could be in store for is more viral spread, it's things that we saw back in June and July were our cases were going up and up and we started to strain some of the capacity in our healthcare system," Cohen said.
Right now, North Carolina is making progress in the fight against COVID-19, cases and hospitalizations are down. But back on memorial day, data from NCDHHS shows the daily average for new cases was around 700, then just 14 days later, the average of new cases a day was around 1,100.
"It was pretty horrible during the whole process, I had a high fever, shortness of breath, just really lethargic," COVID survivor, Raven McGregor said.
McGregor offers a warning as we head into the holiday weekend.
"We just don't need to be selfish, let's all do our part, wear our mask and care about others and try and prevent this virus from spreading," McGregor said.
Health officials urge people to plan ahead this weekend and avoid large crowds while practicing the three W's of wearing a mask, waiting, and washing your hands.