Counties with the lowest hospital bed capacity in North Carolina

The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40% of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises the majority of cases in the U.S.

Researchers around the world have reported that Omicron is more transmissible than Delta, making breakthrough and repeat infections more likely. Early research suggests this strain may cause less severe illness than Delta and the original virus, however, health officials have warned an Omicron-driven surge could still increase hospitalization and death rates—especially in areas with less vaccinated populations.

The United States as of Feb. 24 reached 942,985 COVID-19-related deaths and nearly 78.7 million COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 64.8% of the population is fully vaccinated, and 43.4% have received booster doses.

Stacker compiled a list of the counties with the lowest in-patient bed capacity in North Carolina using data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and vaccination data from Covid Act Now. Counties are ranked by the percent of in-patient hospital beds filled as of Feb. 23, with the percent of hospital beds filled by COVID-19 patients serving as a tiebreaker. Hospitalization data was available for about 77% of counties in the U.S. Keep reading to see what hospital capacity looks like in your county.