Dr. Novant encourages vaccination, says the average hospitalization age is now 47 years-Salisbury Post

SALISBURY — Everyone will eventually get antibodies to COVID-19, but it’s much safer to receive them through a vaccine than to get sick, with Novant Health’s Chief Safety, Quality and Epidemiology Officer. One David Priest says.

“It’s really a turning point in terms of how to get COVID antibodies,” Priest said in a briefing with a reporter. “We don’t want to see the tragedy. We don’t want people to decide not to get vaccinated until something serious happens to them or their loved ones.”

He said that people admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 were almost universally unvaccinated. This is also reflected in Atrium Health, where about 99% of patients admitted to the institution are unvaccinated. According to the Rowan County Health Department, unvaccinated people represent all of the recent COVID-19 deaths among locals.

The average age of patients admitted to Novant Health Hospital, including the Rowan Medical Center, is 47 years. This is down from the age of 61 the month before the pandemic. The younger the age, the higher the mortality rate, which decreases from 15% to about 4%, according to Priest. According to Priest, about 15% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 use a ventilator.

“So if anyone thinks for themselves,’I’m young and healthy. I’m probably okay,’ as I found in our system, none of these things COVID, special. Does not keep young people from being affected by the delta mutants that are infectious and hospitalizing them, “Priest said.

The delta variant of COVID-19 was first identified in India in December. Currently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48% of COVID-19 cases are delta variants in North Carolina, including seven other states in the southeast.

The priest said that people infected with COVID-19 have some immunity to new variants, but not as predictable or powerful as protection from vaccination.

“We encourage individuals who still have COVID to be vaccinated,” he said.

In Rowan County, about 35.3% and 41.1% of people over the age of 12 receive at least one vaccination. For complete vaccinations, the numbers are 30.8% and 35.8%, respectively.

The latest information on new COVID-19 cases was not available Tuesday afternoon due to a technical problem with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The priest answered many other questions related to COVID-19 during the briefing.

• Parents said that children generally need to be prepared to wear masks at school next year, regardless of vaccination status. However, two realities can emerge, depending on whether or not a mask is needed.

COVID-19 outbreaks are unlikely to occur in areas where adult vaccination rates are high and mask wearing rules are still in place, he said. The opposite is possible in communities with low vaccination rates and no mask wearing rules.

“In counties where 30% of adults are vaccinated and children are not masked, the school system cannot end the school year without COVID. It will not happen, especially very much. It’s a contagious variant of the disease, “he said.

Rowan-Salisbury Schools plans to make masks an option next year.

• Vaccinated people can be infected with COVID-19, but in general, cases of people who receive injections are “quite mild,” Priest said.

“It can happen. The vaccine is not perfect and the vaccine may not be enough to protect the delta variant of the usual routine cases of COVID, but it is very effective in preventing hospitalization and death.” He said. “So we will see them. That does not mean that people should not be vaccinated.”

• Vaccinated people “almost never” spread COVID-19 to unvaccinated people. It’s possible, but it’s rare, Priest said.