North Carolina does not currently carry any special COVID-19 hotspot designation, and the surveillance systems that once tracked county-by-county transmission levels no longer exist in their original form. The CDC discontinued its community-level COVID tracking in May 2023 when the federal public health emergency expired, which means the real-time “hotspot” maps many people remember from the pandemic are no longer updated. That doesn’t mean COVID has disappeared from the state, but it does mean answering this question requires looking at different data sources than it once did.
Why Hotspot Data No Longer Exists
During the pandemic, the CDC maintained a county-level dataset that classified communities as low, medium, or high transmission based on weekly case counts and hospital admissions. That dataset was archived in November 2023 and is no longer updated. North Carolina’s own Department of Health and Human Services has similarly shifted away from daily or weekly case dashboards.
This change happened nationwide, not just in North Carolina. Once COVID was no longer classified as a public health emergency, most states and federal agencies moved to a seasonal surveillance model closer to how they track influenza. The result is that nobody, including the CDC, publishes the kind of granular hotspot maps that would let you check whether your specific county is experiencing a surge.
What Tracking Still Exists
The CDC still monitors COVID through a few channels. Wastewater surveillance tracks viral levels in sewage systems across the country, including sites in North Carolina, and provides a rough estimate of whether infections are rising or falling in a given region. Hospital admissions data is also still collected nationally, giving a picture of how much strain COVID is placing on the healthcare system at any given time.
These tools are less precise than the old county-level case counts. Wastewater data covers broad regions rather than individual counties, and hospital admissions reflect severe illness rather than total infections. Still, they’re the most reliable indicators available. You can check the CDC’s respiratory virus dashboard online to see current national and regional trends, including the Southeast region that covers North Carolina.
How To Gauge Local Risk Right Now
If you’re trying to figure out whether COVID is circulating heavily in your part of North Carolina, a few practical signals can help. Local hospital systems sometimes report respiratory illness surges on their websites or through local news. Your county health department may still issue periodic updates during times of increased activity. And pharmacies that offer COVID testing can sometimes give you a sense of local demand.
Home test results are no longer reported to public health agencies in most cases, which means official case counts dramatically undercount actual infections. Most people who get COVID today test at home, if they test at all. So even when data is available, it reflects only a fraction of true cases.
Seasonal Patterns in North Carolina
COVID in the United States, including North Carolina, has settled into a pattern of two annual waves. A smaller wave typically hits in late summer, and a larger one arrives in winter alongside flu and RSV. North Carolina’s warm climate and large population centers like Charlotte, Raleigh, and the Research Triangle mean the state sees meaningful activity during both peaks.
During these seasonal surges, parts of North Carolina can see hospital admissions climb noticeably, particularly in rural counties with fewer hospital beds per capita. Urban areas tend to have higher raw case numbers but more healthcare capacity to absorb them. If you’re planning travel or large gatherings, timing around these seasonal peaks is worth considering.
What You Can Check Before Travel or Events
If you’re visiting North Carolina or attending a large event and want to assess your risk, here’s what to look at:
- CDC respiratory virus dashboard: Shows current wastewater viral activity levels for the Southeast region, updated weekly.
- Local news outlets: Hospital systems in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Asheville often report to local media when respiratory admissions spike.
- NC DHHS guidance page: The state health department still maintains general guidance on preventing the spread of respiratory viruses and when to test.
None of these will tell you definitively that North Carolina is or isn’t a hotspot in the way the old CDC maps did. But together, they give you a reasonable picture of whether activity is elevated in the area you’re headed to. If wastewater levels are high and local hospitals are reporting strain, it’s reasonable to take extra precautions like carrying home tests and considering a mask in crowded indoor spaces.