Why does Columbus County have one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the NC?

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — According to new research, rural North Carolina counties are suffering more COVID-19 deaths than any other, including Columbus County.

Kim Smith, the Columbus County Health Director, says the county is more prone to the virus than most others.

“Because we have found that a lot of our deaths had underlying health conditions and that does not help with the COVID,” Smith said.

Smith says Columbus County has a high rate of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart and lung disease. That coupled with the older population puts residents at a much higher risk than the average American.

“From the data, obviously we’re poor, we don’t have unnecessarily great habits, and the population’s older,” Daniel Buck, the county’s public information officer, said. “When you combine those things like I said, this disease comes in and really takes advantage.”

On top of that, rural counties like Columbus have less access to high speed, broadband internet than its urban and suburban neighbors. Without that, it’s difficult to work from home and social distance.

“When it comes to an illness like this, it’s going to take advantage of those things, and I think that’s why we’ve seen a higher per capita death rate,” Buck says.

As of Thursday, Columbus County has a population of almost 56,000 people, more than 1,300 coronavirus cases, and 54 deaths.