New COVID-19 cases in Surry County have fallen to levels not seen in months.
As of Thursday afternoon, the county had experienced an average of less than 10 confirmed cases per day over the past two weeks, and as of Thursday there was just a single COVID-19 patient at Northern Regional Hospital.
Local health department officials chalk up the significant drop in local cases to the increasing number of county residents getting vaccinated.
The county has seen 125 new cases of the virus confirmed over the previous 14 days, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, for an average of about 9 a day. That’s just a fraction of what the county was experiencing at times in December and January, when the daily count of new cases exceeded 100 on multiple days.
During the worst stretch, officials at Northern also reported their ICU and step-down units full, with more than half of the patients in those units suffering from COVID-19. At times, there wasn’t enough room for COVID patient demand, with some suffering from the virus having to wait in temporary beds in the Emergency Department or elsewhere.
“According to what we are hearing from our partners at NC Department of Health and Human Services, the increase in the number of people fully vaccinated has been a major contributor to the steady decrease of cases,” said Maggie Simmons, assistant health director with the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center.
In Surry County, she said the health department had administered 18,550 vaccine doses as of Thursday. Nathan Walls, assistant to the county manager, added that 9,315 individuals had been fully vaccinated. Most of the vaccines thus far administered consist of a series of two shots, given several weeks apart, thus the difference in vaccine doses administered and total fully vaccinated individuals.
At Northern Regional, hospital spokesperson Rylee Haynes said there was just a single COVID-19 patient in the hospital Thursday afternoon, in the ICU. She said the volume of people coming to the emergency department suffering from coronavirus-like systems has also dropped significantly.
“…Due to the lower number of cases and the increased numbers of vaccinations – it appears the vaccines are doing what they are meant to do,” she said.
Despite the downward trend in cases, Simmons warned this is not the time to relax.
“We are still concerned, as Surry County continues to be listed as having critical community spread. It is imperative that citizens still follow the most up-to-date guidance depending on your vaccination status,” she said.
“Surges could always be possible following mass gatherings,” Northern Hospital’s Haynes said, a bit of a warning for area individuals in the midst of spring break this week and the upcoming Easter holiday.
All totaled, Surry County has experienced 7,538 cases, with 140 deaths since the pandemic began a year ago. Statewide, North Carolina has 891,314 confirmed cases, with 11,783 deaths. Nationwide, there have been more than 29.4 million cases, with 535,217 deaths.
Local residents wishing to get a vaccination should fill out the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/22CBXKF
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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