RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and members of the state's COVID-19 task force gave an update Tuesday afternoon as health officials monitor the omicron variant.
It was likely the last briefing for Health Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen, who will step down as secretary of North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services at the end of the month.
Cohen went through the latest COVID-19 data showing, like many places around the country, North Carolina is seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. According to CDC data, all but a few counties in the state are back in the red zone, meaning there are high levels of transmission.
Right now, the majority of new cases are in young kids and teens, the least vaccinated population. Cohen said she is concerned.
"During [the] latest delta surge, it was hard to predict who was going to become seriously ill and young people who were not vaccinated were harder hit," she said.
Although omicron has been detected in the state, the first case in Mecklenburg County on UNC Charlotte's campus, health officials do not believe this rise in cases is due to omicron.
Health officials said a UNC Charlotte student who traveled out of state for Thanksgiving tested positive for the variant. The student has since recovered and any close contacts for the student tested negative, according to Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris.
There was an uptick in viral activity in the state after Thanksgiving, and as the weather gets colder and more holidays approach, experts are stressing the need to vaccinate, boost, mask and social distance when possible.
"Delta is what is here now and what concerns me about omicron is we know it is even more contagious than delta. We'll definitely have to learn more as we go but delta is on my mind as we head into the holiday season," Cohen said.
The Pfizer booster is now available to 16 and 17-year-olds.
Tuesday marked one year since the first shots became available in the state.
On Monday, NCDHHS reported 2,168 new cases of COVID-19. That's up slightly from the 2,101 new cases reported last Monday.
As of 12 p.m. Monday, 73% of adults in North Carolina have taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 69% of adults are fully vaccinated.
Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.