CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, federal health officials are recommending that about one-third of the country put masks back on. The areas experiencing high community COVID-19 levels are primarily n the northeast and Midwest.
As cases and hospitalizations inch up, the Carolinas are still mostly experiencing low community COVID-19 levels. Wake County notably switched into the medium level this week.
It’s all fueled by subvariants of the omicron variant.
“We very clearly are seeing a pretty significant uptick in cases in the community," Dr. Katie Passaretti with Atrium Health said. "With that, we’re seeing a modest increase in COVID hospitalizations."
She said it’s still not at the level of the omicron surge earlier this year.
There hasn’t been a mask mandate in Mecklenburg County since the end of February.
MORE NEWS: Pat McCrory tests positive for COVID-19
“Regardless of whether there are mask recommendations that kind of go back into place, we’re certainly entering the territory with increased cases where people need to think about their risk level and the risk level is certainly higher out and about in the community of being exposed to COVID and getting COVID than it was 6 weeks ago,” Passaretti said.
The rise in cases prompted Socrates Academy in Matthews to reinstate masking requirements in the classroom.
“We’re about to have graduation parties, proms, everyone’s going to the theater, so you can mask in those situations all the better to protect yourself. Because even if you’re not hospitalized, it’s still a pretty miserable illness,” Dr. Amina Ahmed, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with Atrium Health, said.
Even though levels are still low, it’s important to note that case counts are likely underestimates because of the prevalence of at-home tests.
Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions reporting on and engaging the community around the problems and solutions as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.