North Carolina COVID-19 Hospitalizations Double Since November

Hospitalizations from COVID-19 have double in the last month, state officials announced. On Tuesday (December 15), Gov. Roy Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen gave their first statements since the state received its first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen addressed the growing numbers during a press conference.

"Too many North Carolinians are getting seriously ill," said Dr. Cohen.

The numbers for both coronavirus hospitalizations and ICU patients have doubled since mid-November, as the cases from the Thanksgiving holiday continue to roll in. On Tuesday, there were 2,735 patients hospitalized, accounting for 15% of all patients statewide, and 643 are in Intensive Care Units.

"I know we're all getting so numb to these numbers, so I'm asking you to take a moment to think about who these people are," she said. "They're our neighbors, our friends, our family members — they're people we love. I know no one wants this for our state."

She continued, "Let's keep protecting one another. Whatever your reason, get behind the mask."

Gov. Cooper said both he and Dr. Cohen sent a letter to county governments asking them to enforce the executive orders in place that aim to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Though they encourage the public to follow CDC recommendations and not travel, they know some still plan on traveling over the holidays. To help mitigate some of the potential spread, the state is setting up 300 free testing events across the state over the next two weeks.

The full press conference can be found here.

Photo: Getty Images