CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The number of patients admitted to Novant Health hospitals has increased by a multiple of 12 over the past 6 weeks, according to data shared by the hospital system Tuesday. Their intensive care units are at 97% of capacity for adult patients.
"People are tired. It's hard. Emotions are high. There's a frustration for all sorts of reasons," Doctor David Priest of Novant Health told reporters in a virtual gathering.
The delta variant of the coronavirus and low vaccination rates are to blame, according to officials.
The delta variant is more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain. Whereas one person with the original strain could infect 2 or 3 people, someone infected with the delta variant can spread the virus to upwards of 9, people according to public health officials.
Officials warn the most vulnerable are those still unvaccinated.
"91% of our admitted COVID-19 patients are not vaccinated," Priest said. "Of the 9% of our admitted COVID-19 patients who are vaccinated, they have a different patient profile than our unvaccinated patients."
On average, those vaccinated patients, who are known as breakthrough cases, are 77 years old, were among the first to be vaccinated, and typically have a number of other chronic medical problems, according to Priest.
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Unvaccinated patients hospitalized for COVID-19 tend to be much younger. Data shows those patients are largely between the ages of 18 and 44.
The data seen at Novant Health is similar to trends seen across North Carolina.
"We've dealt with this before," Priest said. "Did we want to do this again? No. We're disappointed this is where we are in terms of national vaccination rates -- and those kinds of things -- but we have from the beginning been here to serve our communities"
Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.