Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on July 24
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 108,000
At least 108,995 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 1,746 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported an additional 2,102 cases of the virus, up from 1,892 the day before. The record of 2,481 daily cases was reported Saturday.
More than 1.5 million coronavirus tests have been completed in North Carolina. On Thursday, 9% of tests were positive. The percentage should be closer to 5%, officials say.
Hospitalizations remain high after record day
At least 1,182 North Carolinians were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Friday, a slight drop from the single-day high reported Thursday.
Thursday’s total of 1,182 patients surpassed the previous record of 1,179, which was set Tuesday, according to the state health department.
Reported daily hospitalizations haven’t dropped below 1,000 since July 9, data show.
The state on Wednesday reported 75% of inpatient beds and 78% of intensive care unit beds were in use.
On Wednesday, 137 patients confirmed with COVID-19 were admitted to North Carolina hospitals over 24 hours, and 360 adults were in ICUs, the state health department reported Thursday.
Updated health guidance addresses face masks in schools
North Carolina health officials on Friday shared revised guidance that addresses face masks in schools.
Though previous guidance called for using masks within 6 feet of someone else, the latest drops the wording about face coverings being worn only at that distance.
“The updated guidance says face coverings don’t have to worn when the person is eating, drinking or strenuously exercising,” with some exemptions possible, The News & Observer reported.
All public school students will be required to wear face masks on their campuses and school buses.
Virus hitting NC Latinos hard
Coronavirus cases are surging among Latinos, with the group making up at least 45% of infections in North Carolina, state data show.
That’s a disproportionate percentage compared to the Latino population in the state. Some members of the community are without health insurance or have difficulty getting COVID-19 tests.
“Many are considered essential workers and work in farms, grocery stores, construction and meat processing plants — places that have counted numerous outbreaks,” The News & Observer reported Friday.
The leaders of Raleigh’s Guatemalan and Mexican consulates on Thursday were asked to make “an urgent call” to the Latino community, according to Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state’s Department of Health and Human Service.
Trump cancels RNC in Florida
President Donald Trump announced Thursday he is canceling the portion of the Republican National Convention slated to take place in Jacksonville next month, citing Florida’s troubling coronavirus data.
The convention had originally been planned for Charlotte.
“I told my team it’s time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida, component of the GOP convention,” he told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to be doing some other things with tele-rallies and online the week, that we’re discussing ... I’ll still do a convention speech in a different form. But we’re not going to do a big crowded convention per se, it’s just not the right time for it.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how the sudden cancellation will impact Charlotte, which is still scheduled to host the “business” part of the convention at the end of August, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Trump to discuss COVID-19 vaccine in NC
President Donald Trump will visit a biotech company in North Carolina on Monday to discuss coronavirus vaccine efforts.
He will tour the Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies’ Innovation Center in Morrisville and is expected to discuss vaccine development, manufacturing and distribution, according to a White House official.
The company he’s visiting is manufacturing drug substance for a COVID-19 vaccine candidate that started Phase 1 of clinical trials in May.
The federal government in early July announced a $1.6 billion agreement with the vaccine maker, Novavax, and will own 100 million doses of the vaccine.
UNC system weighs changes for next year
Universities in the UNC system will not require SAT or ACT scores to be submitted with applications for fall, spring and summer 2021 because of the pandemic.
The Board of Governors voted Thursday to make the tests optional as coronavirus has limited test-taking options for students. SAT and ACT test sessions were canceled and postponed during the pandemic and some K-12 schools in North Carolina moved them online, which makes it difficult for some students to access testing sites before November.
The change is a one-year emergency waiver and doesn’t affect the system’s policy.
UNC system leaders also discussed how to cope with the financial implications of the pandemic during a Board of Governors meeting Thursday, saying the system is preparing for “worst-case scenarios,” The News & Observer reported.
Each of the 17 university campuses were told to submit plans for cutting their budgets by 50% in preparation for the fall semester.
Dr. David Weber, medical director of UNC Hospitals’ Departments of Hospital Epidemiology, warned the current wave of coronavirus cases “could go on for a very long time.”
But without orders from a county health director, The N&O reported universities will have to consult with the UNC system president and board if they want to delay the start of in-person instruction or shut down campus. The university system will also not issue a refund on tuition and fees, the board confirmed in a vote Thursday.
Many private schools to open
Many of North Carolina’s private schools are planning to reopen for in-person instruction.
Linda Nelson, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools, which includes 40% of the state’s private school students, said many of the schools plan to have in-person instruction instead of the remote instruction that many public school districts are opting for.
Private schools are exempt from the coronavirus-related rules that apply to the state’s public K-12 schools but will use many of the same safety measures.
“We have a tremendous amount of autonomy,” Nelson told The News & Observer. “That certainly extends to returning to school in these circumstances. But our schools approach it from a perspective that we’ve got to do what’s safe.”
On Thursday, families at the newly reopened Thales Academy in Raleigh were told a staff member at the school had tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member was asymptomatic, The N&O reported.
Many private schools are also offering remote learning options for students.
At least 37 public school districts in North Carolina and 28 charter schools have chosen remote instruction for the start of the upcoming academic year.
Coronavirus hurts census response
Fewer people in North Carolina have filled out the 2020 census due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of this week, 58.3% of households in the state have filled out the form online or through the mail. During the 2010 census 65% had done so by this point.
Forms can still be filled out before census workers start visiting households that haven’t done so Aug. 11.
The Census Bureau began encouraging participation in March, when the country started shutting down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pause on visas could hurt some companies
An order that prevents some visa holders from coming to the United States could impact some North Carolina companies, experts told The Charlotte Observer.
New H-1B visas, which are for skilled workers, are suspended through at least December. Many workers come to Charlotte to work at financial companies and work in information technology.
President Donald Trump said “the purpose of his order was to protect jobs of American workers while the country is facing high unemployment rates during the novel coronavirus pandemic,” the Observer reported on Thursday.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 7:33 AM.
