FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- COVID-19 cases statewide are trending upward and a spike across the Sandhills has forced health officials to issue a critical warning.
"About 10 to 15 percent of the people sick enough to go into the hospital don't get to go home," said Dr. Michael Zappa, Chief of Emergency Services at Cape Fear Valley Hospital. "As a society, we're ready to be done with COVID. It's becoming harder and harder and harder for people to do the appropriate things. So they're having small gatherings in the home or going to dinner with friends and family."
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According to Zappa, COVID-19 fatigue is a real issue and has contributed to the surge in cases statewide. He worries North Carolinians could be in for another state shutdown as cases climb. This could also drive concerns about capacity and resources available at area hospitals.
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Despite COVID-19 fatigue setting in, Zappa urges everyone to not let up.
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"Think long and hard about it. What we don't want to see and what we're afraid of is in those few weeks following Thanksgiving and leading up to the Christmas holiday," said Zappa. "Will we see a rise in hospitalizations and a rise in the death toll?"
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