GREENSBORO, N.C. — COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Guilford County.
Triad health leaders said it's not like what we've seen in the past. A spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said they are keeping a close eye on levels ahead of respiratory illness season.
The COVID sub-variant "Eris" or "EG.5" is now the most dominant strain in the United States. It comes from the Omicron variant and is responsible for more than 17% of cases across the country.
This year, the NCDHHS stopped collecting COVID-19 data daily. Instead, they now rely on measuring COVID through hospitalizations and wastewater charts which tell you where they currently stand and how it is changing.
Greensboro lies in the 60%-70% percentile compared to High Point and Winston-Salem ranging between 20%-59%.
Experts who work at the state level said they do see the new variant in our state, but there are no immediate concerns.
"We are seeing a little bit of an increase of hospitalizations in our area, but they're not right now incredibly concerning to us. It is concerning that these trends are going up," Iulia Vann said.
She is the Public Health Director for Guilford County.
Experts said as they test wastewater and track the virus, they use these readings to prepare for the future.
"When we are seeing increases, we just really want people to be aware of that so they can take the appropriate steps to protect themselves and their loved ones," Dr. Virginia Guidry said.
She is the NCDHHS Head of the Occupational and Environmental Health and Occupational Branch.
Medical experts said they expect to keep seeing COVID-19 levels going up and down.