Robbinsville – The usual post-holiday spike in COVID-19 cases was more than three times worse in Graham County this year than in 2021, according to testing data.
Between Dec. 22 and Jan. 31, there were 616 new positive test results in 2022, compared to 168 new positive test results in Graham County in 2021.
The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Graham County remained level in early 2021 at 13, but has more than doubled in the last half of 2021 through January 2022, with 17 additional deaths reported by the Graham County Health Department.
The disparity between the two periods is likely due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which first appeared in the United States in early December and – due to its more contagious nature – rapidly became the dominant variant in the world.
Viruses constantly change through mutation and sometimes these mutations result in a new variant of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“Some variants emerge and disappear while others persist. New variants will continue to emerge. CDC and other public health organizations monitor all variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 in the United States and globally,” the CDC said.
Graham County Schools reinstated mandatory masks in early January in anticipation of a post-holiday spike.
Post-holiday spikes are expected, judging from the history of the COVID-19 pandemic, which first emerged in the United States in January 2020, two years ago.
The number of new COVID-19 cases jumped by more than 300 between mid-August and mid-September, with the start of the school year.