(Archive) COVID-19 Hospitalizations Dashboard

The dashboard is no longer being updated as of Feb. 28, 2024. This page reflects archived information.

Metrics have been essential to North Carolina’s response to COVID-19. However, the way we track COVID-19 has changed. Reporting of hospital data as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) during the COVID-19 response is ending. 

As of March 6, 2024, the Summary Dashboard features a new hospital admissions chart. This chart shows admissions from emergency departments for symptoms or diagnoses of COVID-19, RSV, flu (Influenza), and acute respiratory illnesses. It will update weekly with data from NC DETECT.

North Carolina continues to track COVID-19 in other ways, including:

Dashboards are best viewed on a desktop or laptop. However, if viewing dashboards on a mobile device, please rotate your device horizontally, to landscape view, for a better mobile experience.

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To download tabular data displayed in the NCDHHS dashboards please go to Data Behind the Dashboards.

Tab/Accordion Items

NCDHHS surveys hospitals across North Carolina daily to monitor their current hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and their current capacity. This is done through the Healthcare Preparedness Program, which is used to assess hospital capacity during other disasters and emergencies. The Healthcare Preparedness Program is comprised of eight regions: CapRAC - Capital Region Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, DHPC - Duke Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, EHPC - Eastern Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, MAHPC - Mountain Area Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, MCRHC - Mid Carolina Regional Healthcare Coalition, MHPC - Metrolina Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, SHPR - Southeastern Healthcare Preparedness Region, and the THPC - Triad Healthcare Preparedness Coalition.

The NC COVID-19 Hospitalization dashboard includes both statewide and region views. Hospitals self-report information including the number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, the number of confirmed patients admitted in the last 24 hours, full and available adult intensive care unit (ICU) beds, the number of staffed inpatient beds, the total number of patients on ventilators, and the number of available ventilators. This information is collected throughout each week, aggregated and then posted weekly. NCDHHS also reports daily what percent of hospitals reported. Changes in the percent of hospitals reporting can change how many people were reported as currently hospitalized.

Currently hospitalized reflect the number of people with COVID-19 that are currently hospitalized in reporting hospitals. The number of hospitalizations helps us understand how many people were hospitalized with COVID-19, and how close hospital beds are to their staffed or licensed capacity. Limitation: People stay in the hospital multiple days with COVID-19, and so this reflects the number of people reported by hospitals.  All data are preliminary and may change as data are investigated.

Number of COVID-19 Confirmed Patients Admitted –24 hours represents the number of patients from reporting hospitals that were admitted to an adult inpatient bed during the past 24 hours who are confirmed with COVID-19 at the time of admission. This provides us with the number of patients that are being newly admitted with COVID-19 which is an earlier indicator for increases in the total number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the coming days. All data are preliminary and may change as data are investigated.

Number of COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Patients represents the numerical number of all Adult ICU occupied beds that have a COVID-19 positive patient in them. This number provides us with a breakdown of the COVID-19 hospitalizations that are needing higher level of care which can indicate more severe COVID-19 cases. Limitation: People stay in the hospital multiple days with COVID-19, and so this reflects the number of people reported by hospitals. All data are preliminary and may change as data are investigated.

Hospital Bed Numbers are not specific to patients with COVID-19. These numbers reflect hospital beds as reported by participating hospitals. These numbers do not reflect hospital surge. Empty beds are able to be staffed but do not currently have patients. Unreported or unstaffed beds: The survey to hospitals does not currently collect the number of licensed beds that are not staffed. Therefore, this number includes beds from hospitals that reported, but were not staffed and so were not included in the hospitals survey report. These beds would be empty. It also includes beds that are in a hospital that did not report that day, which could be full or empty. All data are preliminary and may change as data are investigated.

Number of patients on a ventilator (not specific to COVID-19), as self-reported by hospitals. This number does not reflect ventilators from other sources, including those purchased but not yet deployed to hospitals. All data are preliminary and may change as data are investigated.

Hospitalization Demographic Data is only provided for Newly Admitted Confirmed COVID-19 Patients is available for the chosen report date. NCDHHS began requiring hospitals to submit detailed demographic data starting on October 1, 2020.

NCDHHS surveys hospitals across North Carolina daily to monitor their current hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and their current capacity. This is done through the Healthcare Preparedness Program, which is used to assess hospital capacity during other disasters and emergencies. The Healthcare Preparedness Program is comprised of eight regions: CapRAC - Capital Region Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, DHPC - Duke Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, EHPC - Eastern Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, MAHPC - Mountain Area Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, MCRHC - Mid Carolina Regional Healthcare Coalition, MHPC - Metrolina Healthcare Preparedness Coalition, SHPR - Southeastern Healthcare Preparedness Region, and the THPC - Triad Healthcare Preparedness Coalition.

Number of COVID-19 Confirmed Patients Newly Admitted represents the number of patients from reporting hospitals that were admitted to an adult inpatient bed during the past 24 hours who are confirmed with COVID-19 at the time of admission. This provides us with the number of patients that are being newly admitted with COVID-19 which is an earlier indicator for increases in the total number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the coming days. All data are preliminary and may change as data are investigated.

Age is a required demographic data element for hospital systems to collect, although data can in rare cases be reported as “Unknown”. The age groups (0-17, 18-19, 20-29 etc.) are based on requirements provided by the federal government.

Race, Ethnicity, and Gender are all considered PHI/PII data and are not always recorded by hospitals or provided by patients. Some hospitals will report these demographic element as “Not Disclosed” indicating it is not collected by their reporting system and they are not able to provide it to DHHS for reporting. 

“Not Reported” provides the percentage of the demographic metric that was not reported by hospitals for the COVID-19 confirmed metrics to NCDHHS. “Not Reported” differs from “Not Disclosed” by indicating a hospital did not submit the required demographic information to NCDHHS. NCDHHS is actively working with hospitals to improve compliance with demographic reporting requirements.