COVID-19 cases rising in Mecklenburg Co. amid holiday gatherings, travel

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The new year is just days away, and while many people are celebrating the holidays and traveling cases of COVID-19 are already on the rise in Mecklenburg County.

It’s something health experts have been warning about all month. WBTV spoke with Atrium Health officials just two weeks ago about this possibility.

“It seems like when one family member gets sick, the whole family gets sick. That continues to be true regardless of whether it’s RSV, flu, COVID or any other viral infection, is that once one family gets down because everyone is in such close quarters and such close contact, it’s easy for those respiratory infections to spread to other members of the family,” Dr. Lyn Nuse, with Levine Children’s Hospital, said at the time.

A map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Mecklenburg County sits in the yellow, which could put people with underlying health conditions more at risk if they contract COVID-19.

It’s not just Mecklenburg County; Rowan, Cabarrus, Union, Stanly and Anson counties in North Carolina are also in yellow, as is Chester County in South Carolina.

Mecklenburg County Public Health officials also published the latest data on COVID-19 for the weeks of Dec. 2 through Dec 15. They found there were 3,750 reported cases in that two-week period, an increase of 73%.

Emergency rooms also saw a 17% increase in visits over that time.

County health officials are warning anyone that is at high risk to mask up, especially in public.

For those who have traveled and live with someone who is at high risk, officials suggest they take a COVID-19 test and wear a mask if they’re indoors with them.

Health experts are still stressing that the best way to stay safe from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated and boosted.

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