Raleigh, N.C. — The number of new coronavirus cases in North Carolina continues to spike, and the severity of the infections are leading to more severe cases of COVID-19, according to state data.
The state reported four straight days of more than 1,000 new cases, topped by Saturday’s 1,163, which was the highest single-day figure since May 20, state Department of Health and Human Services data show.
On Monday, 734 cases were reported, bringing the total since Friday to 2,950.
The recent spike has pushed the daily average of new cases to 933, which is a 77 percent jump from a week ago. Still, it’s 89 percent below the daily average at the peak of the pandemic in January.
More than 600 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, the highest total since June 3, and nearly 30 percent of them are in intensive care.
Fifty-six percent of adults 18 or older in North Carolina are fully vaccinated against the virus, and another 3 percent have received one dose of the vaccine. That lags behind the national averages of 59 percent fully vaccinated and 68 percent with at least one dose.