BOONE, N.C. — The town of Boone is closing its offices until Jan. 17 due to COVID-19. The town said town staff will be working remotely in the meantime.
COVID-19 cases are on the rise throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. Nearly every county in the Carolinas is in either a medium or high COVID community level, according to the CDC.
North Carolina state health officials report hospitalizations increased by 500 statewide between the last two weeks of 2022.
NC DHHS data last week showed 78% of all adults in North Carolina have at least one vaccine dose, along with 30% of children and teens. Meanwhile, 59% of the state's total population has received at least one dose of the original booster shot, while only 20% have received the updated booster.
Health experts are urging people to get the updated shot to help combat the spread of certain variants of the virus, chiefly the omicron strain and its subvariants.
Nationwide, XBB.1.5, a variant in the Omicron family, now makes up one-third of new cases. It has been sequenced in North Carolina and Mecklenburg County and experts expect it will soon be the dominant strain here.
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