COVID-19 cases are rising in NC -- but why?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina is in the midst of an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases across the state.

After months of declines, Dr. Mandy Cohen, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said that twice this week, overall cases have reached over 1,000 a day.

These numbers are the highest numbers in more than two months and are possibly the result of all the travel and Fourth of July weekend getaways.

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State metrics do not explicitly say if those new positive cases were among vaccinated or unvaccinated people, but nationally the director of the National Institutes of Health said unvaccinated people make up 99% of the new COVID-19 cases.

Local, state and national health officials added that the more serious cases are those who aren't fully protected. That's why the White House continues to urge everyone to get vaccinated.

RELATED: Unvaccinated people in SC are seen as the prime reason for the spread of COVID-19

"We're now on individual focus on trying to get every —  as many people in this country and in North Carolina vaccinated as possible because it will save lives," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Contact Richard DeVayne at rdevayne@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

RELATED: Do you still need to get vaccinated if you've had COVID-19?

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