CDC maps show the COVID-19 situation in NC is worsening day by day

RALEIGH, NC (WNCN) – The number of counties now experiencing high levels of COVID-19 transmissions has increased.
As these numbers rise, the state has moved away from using its own District Alert System map. It now relies on the CDC mapping data.

The old county maps used a combination of the case rate, the percentage of positive tests, and the impact on hospitals within the county to color code counties. However, by the time these maps were released they were already out of date.

While the state has historically only updated its county-level map every two weeks, the CDC’s map is updated daily and provides a real-time overview of the progress that is being made.

The CDC County’s transfer map showed that no North Carolina county is anywhere near the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of cases and the percentage of tests that come back look positive every day.

“I just want people to mask themselves and get vaccinated. It’s just sad, “said Dr. Paul Delamater, Associate Professor of Geography at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Delamater mapped and tracked COVID-19 across the state over the past year. He says low vaccine levels and the circulating delta variant are making the state’s COVID-19 situation worse.

“[Cases are] just straight ahead, ”he said.

Almost nowhere is there good progress.

“People need to think not only about what’s going on in their district, but also what is happening in the districts around them, and make decisions based on that,” Delamater said.

People cross the county borders every day to shop, work or go home. So even at the state level, the county color coding doesn’t necessarily make a difference to those in lower transmission areas.

“The virus and the infections don’t respect the county boundaries as much as we sometimes would like,” said Delamater.

According to the CDC, the counties in red or orange are places where you should wear a mask. Masking is just one of the safety precautions Delamater says people need to be aware of regardless of your county.

“I think it’s better to play it safe now than to apologize,” he said.