Vaccinations Likely To Blunt Effects Of Expected Rise In NC COVID-19 Cases, Expert Says

Despite a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases nationwide, numbers in Forsyth County are relatively stable. But one public health official is bracing for another surge. 

Dr. Christopher Ohl, an infectious disease specialist with Wake Forest Baptist Health, says he expects cases to rise again this month due to spring break travel. But he says this wave will likely be less severe than the one that hit in January.

“Our hospitals won't be affected as much because across the state we now have vaccinated about 60 percent of our over the age of 65 people," he says. "And these are the people who tend to get hospitalized more.”

Ohl says before vaccinations became available, roughly 80 percent of their hospitalizations were of patients over 60. 

Statewide, COVID-19 deaths have fallen significantly as vaccinations have risen. Nearly 700 deaths were reported for the week of January 10, during the winter surge. Just 78 were reported for the week of March 14. 

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