Although the omicron strain of COVID-19 has been identified in several counties in North Carolina, there have been no cases found in Vance or Granville counties –  so far.

The Delta variant continues to pose problems for the community, and Granville Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison said cases are up in both counties her department covers. In the 7-day period ending Friday, there were 118 new cases in Vance County. The percent positivity rate in Vance County is 9.4%.

In the same period in Granville County, 124 new cases were reported. The percent positivity rate in Granville County is 5.3%.

In Vance County, 63% of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 57% are fully vaccinated.

In Granville County, 67% of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 63% are fully vaccinated.

When asked by WIZS about urban and rural areas and the local situation with COVID-19 and its variants, Harrison said, “we are seeing an increase in cases overall, and per capita, rural and urban are both seeing increases at about the same rate – rural areas may eclipse urban in this next wave actually since our vaccination rates are lower.”

“Omicron is in about 35 states, but no, we don’t see a lot of it yet in NC… I suspect it will rapidly increase in the coming weeks. Hopefully it will not overtake Delta, but we know it spreads super-fast and it could. Even if it doesn’t cause disease that is as severe as Delta, if there’s more of it over time, we still have to worry about our hospitals’ capacities to address the severely ill,” Harrison cautioned.

“The very best tool we have to fight this virus and protect our health care system is vaccination,” Harrison said. “We are grateful we have safe and effective vaccines for those 5 and older, and we are seeing more and more people decide to get their booster, which is important to ensure the immune system is as strong as it can be against any new strains of the virus.”