North Dakota reports more than 500 new COVID-19 cases as infection curve steepens – Grand Forks Herald

Hospitals officials warn that the worsening outbreak could overwhelm the state's health care system if more residents don't buy into vaccination, mask-wearing and social distancing.

NEW CASES REPORTED THURSDAY, SEPT. 2: 535

ACTIVE CASES*: 2,763

DAILY POSITIVITY RATE: 6.7%

TOTAL KNOWN CASES THROUGHOUT PANDEMIC: 118,491

TOTAL RECOVERED THROUGHOUT PANDEMIC: 114,116

*The Department of Health often amends the number of active cases after they are first reported.

North Dakota's active cases shot up 331 over the previous day as infections climb at a steep rate.

Cass County, which encompasses Fargo, has the most known active cases in the state with 527. Burleigh County had 510 known cases as of Thursday, and Stark County, which encompasses Dickinson, had 234. Stark County also leads the state in active cases per capita, followed by several other low vaccination counties in central and western North Dakota.

The state's 14-day rolling average positivity rate was 6.7% the highest rate since December.

Hospitalizations fell slightly over the previous day, but health care providers have struggled lately to keep up rising admissions amid staffing shortages. Unlike last fall's COVID-19 peak, hospitals are dealing with many noncoronavirus patients on top of high-maintenance COVID-19 patients.

North Dakota had 15 staffed intensive care beds available throughout the state as of Wednesday, along with 195 staffed inpatient beds. Bismarck and Minot hospitals had no available ICU or inpatient beds, while Fargo's three hospitals had a combine nine ICU beds and 12 inpatient beds.

The state reported one death in rural Golden Valley County on Thursday. The department no longer provides information the gender or age of deceased residents.

The department began releasing data last week about "breakthrough" cases in fully vaccinated residents. During the week of Aug. 22, the state reported 22 hospitalizations where the person was fully vaccinated and 80 hospitalizations where the person was not fully vaccinated.

FIRST DOSE ADMINISTERED*: 349,154 (52.7% of population ages 12 and up)

FULL VACCINE COVERAGE*: 321,663 (48.5% of population ages 12 and up)

*These figures come from the state's vaccine dashboard, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which includes vaccinations performed at federal sites, reports slightly higher vaccination rates.

North Dakota ranks in the bottom ten states in vaccination rate, though fear of the delta variant has spurred a slight increase in vaccination rate over the last few weeks, state immunization coordinator Molly Howell said.

Even though a person can be infected with COVID-19 after they are fully vaccinated, health officials emphasize that those who are immunized often experience less severe symptoms and are less likely to be hospitalized.

More information about vaccines can be found at http://www.health.nd.gov/covidvaccinelocator.

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North Dakota reports more than 500 new COVID-19 cases as infection curve steepens - Grand Forks Herald