Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on July 16
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 93,000
At least 93,426 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 1,588 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported an additional 2,160 cases of the virus, up from 1,782 the day before. Thursday’s case total is close to the single-day high of 2,462, a record set on Saturday.
State officials have said more COVID-19 testing could help explain increasing case counts.
On Thursday, the death toll also increased by 20.
The health department on Thursday reported completing an additional 28,120 COVID-19 tests, for a total of more than 1.3 million. The percentage of positive tests was 9%.
The percentage has not dropped below 8% since May 26, when it was 7%. Health officials have said it should be closer to 5%.
Hospitalizations remain high
At least 1,134 North Carolinians were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday, down from a record 1,142 the day before.
Wednesday’s total had surpassed the previous record of 1,109 daily hospitalizations reported Tuesday, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Thursday marked the third day daily hospitalizations in the state exceeded 1,100 and the eighth consecutive day in which the count topped 1,000.
The health department reported 75% of hospital beds and 80% of ICU beds were in use as of Thursday.
Some Latinos with COVID-19 sent home from hospitals
Some Hispanic residents in North Carolina who speak limited English are being sent away from hospitals even if they have serious COVID-19 symptoms, a state adviser on the Hispanic/LatinX COVID-19 response said Thursday.
Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi said during a news conference Thursday that she is trying to determine the extent of the problem after hearing of more and more such cases.
“Organizations should not put already struggling families fearful of what is happening with their health” in a position where they have to explain that they are sick enough to be in the hospital, she said, according to The News & Observer. “It shouldn’t be so hard to do.”
Latino residents make up less than 10% of North Carolina’s population, but account for 44% of its lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The state announced Thursday the launch of a Spanish-language website that advises people whether they should be tested. Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state health department, said hospitals must see everyone who comes in, “but we do know there are access issues.”
The state is opening 300 temporary, free testing sites in Black, Latinx and Native American communities.
Testing gradually catching up
Coronavirus testing in North Carolina has gradually started catching up with the national average after getting a slow start.
Testing capacity has remained low in North Carolina compared to other states despite increasing in recent weeks. The state has consistently been in the middle or bottom of states in terms of per-capita testing, according to COVID Tracking Project data. It spent five weeks between April and May in the bottom quarter of per-capita testing and hit as low as 45 out of 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
Though the state has been making progress, there are still shortages, according to the NC Watchdog Reporting Network, which includes The News & Observer.
Experts say testing is vital to controlling COVID-19 as knowing who is infected can help slow the spread.
Health department data show the state is still well short of its goal to test 40,000 people daily, testing an average of about 27,000 people a day over the last seven days.
Cohen has said she’s encouraged by the progress but that supply shortages will likely continue limiting testing capacity.
“It’s a work in progress and we’re continuing to do that. But what we’re seeing again now is the rearing of the head of that supply chain issue,” she said.
NC courts to require masks
People now will be required to wear face masks in North Carolina courthouses, Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley said Thursday.
Jury trials are also further postponed through at least late September. Beasley had previously said they would be delayed through August due to the coronavirus.
The announcements come after workers at the Durham and Wake courthouses tested positive for COVID-19, The News & Observer reported last week. Officials had encouraged recent visitors to watch for symptoms.
Gov. Roy Cooper’s statewide mask mandate had exempted courthouses, Beasley said.
Two districts have plans for remote learning
Orange County Schools in the Triangle won’t return to in-person learning until September, the school board decided Thursday.
Remote learning will resume Aug. 17.
The board will meet again Monday to discuss details and to decide whether to keep some or all students in online classes until the end of the first grading period in October.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board will meet Thursday night and could also vote to keep classes online until the end of the first grading period in October.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools also decided on Wednesday to hold classes virtually following a two-week socially distanced orientation for students.
Students will rotate through schools for in-person time during the first two weeks and will move to remote learning by Aug. 31. Parents can enroll students in an all-remote option if they don’t want to go to the in-person orientation.
The decisions comes after Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday announced a statewide plan for students to return to school under “moderate” social distancing measures, meaning many students will get a mix of in-person and online instruction.
The plan gives districts the option to open for remote instruction only.
Outdoor visits may be allowed at some NC nursing homes
Some patients at North Carolina care facilities may be able to have in-person visitors soon, a draft policy shows.
Under the proposed change, which could come as early as Friday, several nursing home residents could see their loved ones “face to face, without a window pane or iPad screen in between, for the first time in months,” The News & Observer reported Thursday.
The possibility comes after Gov. Roy Cooper in March issued an order limiting nursing home visitations in an effort to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The draft policy, which state health officials are sharing with people inside the industry, requires visitors to be screened, wear face coverings and come at scheduled times. Participating nursing homes must have no outbreaks and make plans for visitors, The News & Observer reported.
Lawmaker wants hard-hit prisons to release more inmates
Through a spending bill, a North Carolina lawmaker is pushing for more inmates to be released from federal prisons that have had coronavirus cases.
U.S. Rep. David Price, a Democrat from Chapel Hill, is addressing the issue with a provision to legislation that provides Department of Justice spending.
“We expect accountability, and we also expect a full implementation of early release, compassionate release,” Price told The News & Observer. “We expect full implementation of that in a facility that most obviously needs it and warrants it.”
In the amendment, the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Committee expressed worries about the “total low percentage of inmates released, particularly at facilities with high numbers of positive cases.”
North Carolina is home to Butner, one of the hardest-hit facilities in the federal system. At least 25 inmates and one employee have died, The News & Observer and The Marshall Project reported last week.
The House is expected to vote on the provision in two weeks. Then, it could go to the Senate.
Triangle nursing home reports more cases
More staff members at Springbrook Nursing and Rehabilitation Center have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Clayton nursing home had one of the biggest COVID-19 outbreaks in the state. In April, 86 workers and residents contracted the virus and 22 residents died.
The state had just declared the outbreak over when four more workers tested positive.
Coronavirus outbreaks were also reported this week at five facilities in Gaston County, west of Charlotte. The announcement came after the county for months had no COVID-19 cases at nursing homes and senior care centers, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.
Statewide, more than 5,000 COVID-19 cases and 718 deaths have been reported at nursing homes.
The state recently said it would provide one-time testing to all nursing homes in North Carolina that have not tested all residents and staff since May 18. But experts say regular, repeat testing is essential, and the state has not committed to providing it.
Another inmate dies
An inmate at a North Carolina prison died from COVID-19 complications, officials said Wednesday.
The inmate, whom officials did not identify, was in his late 50s and had health issues. He tested positive for the virus three days after being hospitalized on July 8. He died Tuesday, state officials say.
The prison where he was housed, Albemarle Correctional Institution, has been hit hard by the pandemic. As of Tuesday, 98 of the medium-security facility’s 780 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19.
Only two North Carolina prisons — Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro and North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh — have had more inmates test positive.x
Overall, 1,920 coronavirus cases and 31 deaths have been reported at correctional facilities in North Carolina.
High schools sports pushed back
The N.C. High School Athletic Association announced Wednesday the start of high school sports practices will be delayed until at least Sept. 1.
The announcement comes a day after Gov. Roy Cooper announced the state’s public schools will reopen under a modified plan for social distancing. Following the announcement Tuesday, Que Tucker, commissioner of the NCHSAA, said the organization would come up with a plan for possibly restarting sports.
The NCHSAA on Wednesday also said the first five days of the school year will be a “dead period,” meaning workouts won’t be allowed. Teams can continue their limited summer conditioning and workouts under Phase One of the organization’s plan.
Spring sports and the 2020 state basketball championships were canceled in March due to the pandemic. In mid June, teams were allowed to return to off-season training with no contact, temperature checks and other safety measures.
More communities limit alcohol sales
Alcohol sales will soon be prohibited after 10 p.m. in Charlotte and surrounding areas to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The bans will impact “unincorporated parts of Mecklenburg County, the city of Charlotte, and in the towns of Davidson, Matthews and Mint Hill,” The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday. They’ll be in effect during Phase Two of the state’s reopening plan, but it’s not clear how officials would enforce the restrictions.
“We are currently drafting the language that will be signed by the (county commissioners) Chair and the respective mayors,” Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio wrote in an email to officials.
The plan comes after Orange County also banned late-night alcohol sales. People in favor of bans have said they can help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 at large gatherings.
This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 7:33 AM.
