Dr. David Priest, Novant’s chief epidemiologist

Nov. 23. COVID trends are up, more like August when the Delta variant was starting to wreak havoc with hospitals nationwide. But Dr. David Priest, chief epidemiology officer at Novant Health, says it’s fine to go maskless during Thanksgiving celebrations indoors if everyone is vaccinated.

Over the last 14 days COVID hospitalizations are up 7 percent system-wide at Novant, Priest said. New cases are up 27 percent, but deaths due to COVID are down 9 percent.

“We do recommend masking if you’re traveling and in close space with those who may not be vaccinated,” Priest said.

To view Priest’s pre-Thanksgiving advice, click here.