In a Cumberland County press conference this morning, health officials urged residents of the county who have not yet sought vaccinations to do so.

“In the last seven days alone, 837 new COVID cases have been reported in Cumberland County. 

Statewide surveillance data indicates that the large majority of these cases are from the highly contagious Delta variant,” said Dr. Jennifer Green, director of Cumberland County’s Department of Health.

Most of the reported cases are found in people who are unvaccinated, according to Green. And about 15 percent of cases are coming back positive, but the goal is for the percentage to go down to five percent.

Hospitalizations are increasing.

“We have not seen numbers like this since December and January," Green said. "The result of these alarming statistics are that 339 residents of our community have died throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Mike Nagowski, CEO of Cape Fear Valley Health System, explained the impact of the virus on the hospital system. 

“In January, at the height of … hospitalizations in our country, at Cape Fear Valley, there were approximately 130 people who were hospitalized who were COVID positive … That was our high watermark,” he said.

As vaccinations continued, the county saw a downward trend. At one point, only 14 people were hospitalized with the virus. During the past six weeks, Nagowski said, the Delta variant has “taken hold.” “We describe the Delta variant as COVID on steroids. It is the real deal … From a low watermark of 14, to right now, today, we have 89 patients who are COVID positive in our hospital. It’s all about the unvaccinated at this point.” 

The ICU is full.

Nagowski also pointed out that there is a high watermark of people on ventilators.

“We have people dying in their 20s… . The average age of death due to COVID here is 15 years younger than it was at the beginning of the pandemic,” Nagowski said.

Green said there are several important ways that businesses can help keep their employees and customers safe. 

“Encourage your employees to get vaccinated… Encourage them not just to get it but offer them an opportunity. Make sure they know they can maybe take time off work to get it, it may take an incentive for them to get it,” Green said.

Green also advised employers to follow recommendations from Gov. Roy Cooper and from the CDC to wear masks and to have employees wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, while indoors. Continue sanitization measures and quarantining if an employee contracts the virus. If you’re an employer, as Cooper and CDC have recommended, have employees wear mask, regardless of vaccination status while indoors. Continue sanitization measures and quarantining if an employee contracts COVID.

Green said that, while there is a spike in the number of cases, the hospitalizations and deaths in Cumberland County are largely preventable through vaccines and masks.