The delta variant is spreading in NC. What about the Triangle?
North Carolina has reported nearly 6,000 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, but new case rates in most parts of the Triangle are low compared to the rest of the state.
Health officials say the statewide rise in cases is due to the delta variant, a more transmissible and possibly more deadly form of the coronavirus, The News & Observer previously reported.
These new cases are largely seen in those unvaccinated, as 99% of cases statewide since May have been seen in those who haven’t been vaccinated, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. The N&O also recently reported that 98% of all hospitalizations in the state were people who have not yet been fully vaccinated.
But vaccine rates in most of the Triangle are higher than the statewide average.
In Wake, Durham and Orange counties, 59%, 57% and 66% of the population, respectively, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The statewide rate is 49%.
Inversely, spread is lower in these counties.
In Wake County, the number of cases per 100,000 people in the last week is 46. In Durham and Orange counties, that rate is 38 and 34, respectively.
Over half of the 100 counties in North Carolina are at 50 cases per 100,000 or higher over the past week.
Stacy Beard, a spokesperson for Wake County, said Wake’s main strategy right now is vaccination outreach and encouraging people to get tested. Canvassers are talking to people in the county’s neighborhoods and providing flyers to help find the closest vaccination site for residents.
Wake has been following North Carolina state public health guidance for masking, social distancing and holding gatherings, according to Beard.
Johnston County is an outlier in the Triangle.
Among the total population in Johnston County, only 41% have received at least one dose of vaccine. Over the last week, the rate of new cases per 100,000 people is 95.
Richmond County currently has the highest rate of new cases per 100,000 people at 178 over the last seven days. Only 39% of Richmond’s population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Over the entire pandemic, Durham County has had 26,062 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 238 deaths. Orange County has had 8,689 cases and 101 deaths, while Wake County has had 90,482 cases and 741 deaths. Johnston County has had 22,715 cases and 240 deaths.
Since the pandemic began last March, North Carolina has reported 1,025,826 cases and 13,535 deaths.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 4:15 PM with the headline "The delta variant is spreading in NC. What about the Triangle?."