Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Aug. 11
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 1,000 new cases reported
At least 137,895 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 2,204 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported an additional 1,051 cases of COVID-19, up from 626 the day before, which was the smallest daily increase since June 2.
Monday’s case count could change, however, because a commercial lab was late submitting its data to the state, a DHHS spokesperson told The News & Observer.
An additional 32 deaths were also reported Tuesday.
More than 2 million total COVID-19 tests have been completed in North Carolina.
On Tuesday, the rate of positive tests was 6%, up from 5% Monday — the first time since May 11 it dropped that low. It has ranged from 7% to 10% since June. A positive rate of 5% has long been the target for state health officials.
The health department estimates 116,969 people are presumed recovered from the virus in North Carolina. Data on presumed recoveries are released once a week, on Mondays.
Hospitalizations increase slightly
At least 1,122 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday, up from 1,109 reported on Monday.
The health department on Tuesday said 359 suspected COVID-19 patients were admitted to state hospitals since Monday.
Hundreds of health club workers furloughed
Hundreds of workers in North Carolina have been furloughed by one health club.
Life Time expected to reopen its North Carolina facilities Aug. 7 but instead furloughed 721 workers, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices filed with the N.C. Department of Commerce.
The furloughs are supposed to be temporary.
“At this point, because of government restrictions, we do not have any indication as to when we will be able to fully reopen our North Carolina facilities,” the company said in the report.
Gyms and other businesses in North Carolina are required to stay closed through at least Sept. 11 after Gov. Roy Cooper extended Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan.
The report lists 276 furloughs in Charlotte, 203 in Cary and 242 in Raleigh.
Judge sides with Cooper in Forest suit
A judge ruled Tuesday that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper likely has the authority to issue coronavirus-related orders without the agreement of other leaders.
Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, a Republican running against Cooper, sued the governor over some of his executive orders, saying he shouldn’t be able to issue them on his own but should be required to get approval from the Council of State, which has a Republican majority.
He asked the judge to temporarily stop Cooper from making executive orders until the lawsuit is over. But Wake County Superior Court Judge Jim Gale ruled the governor can keep issuing orders since it seems Forest doesn’t have a winning argument.
First NC dog tests positive
A dog in North Carolina died after testing positive for COVID-19, officials said Tuesday.
It was the first confirmed case of coronavirus in a dog in the state, the health department says. A previous report of a dog with the virus was false.
The male Newfoundland was about 8 years old. He was having trouble breathing and taken to the vet on Aug. 3. He died of “acute illness,” a news release said.
An investigation into the dog’s health and cause of death is ongoing. A family member had tested positive for COVID-19 and then negative.
Meat plants with with outbreaks not made public
As the coronavirus spread across North Carolina in May, state regulators proposed publishing a list of cases at each impacted meat processing facility, emails show.
But county officials were concerned about potential pushback from meat companies, and outbreaks at individual plants weren’t made public, The News & Observer reported.
“Unlike nursing homes – another hot spot for outbreaks – these facilities are not required to report COVID-19 numbers to DHHS, so any information about coronavirus outbreaks is reported voluntarily or discovered by officials through contact tracing and other measures,” according to the NC Watchdog Reporting Network.
Latinos, who constitute about half of workers at U.S. meat packing plants, are now the group with the highest portion of coronavirus cases in North Carolina.
Facebook removes NC senator’s COVID-19 post
Facebook deleted a North Carolina lawmaker’s post that shared a debunked video about treating the coronavirus.
“We’ve removed this video for making false claims about cures and prevention methods for COVID-19,” a Facebook spokesperson told The News & Observer in an email.
The removal came after State Sen. Bob Steinburg had another post flagged for misinformation earlier in the pandemic.
“This is run so amok, that I believe it is essential for the government to step in and crack down on these folks, and do whatever needs to be done to enforce the First Amendment,” State Sen. Bob Steinburg, a Republican from Edenton, told The N&O.
But rules about limits on speech apply to government entities, not to social media companies, according to Duke University professor Philip Napoli.
School laptop orders delayed
North Carolina school systems are scrambling to find laptops after allegations of human rights abuses in China led to ordering delays.
Some Triangle-area districts are among those where officials are waiting for devices, The News & Observer reported Tuesday. Several of the state’s public schools are set to start classes on Aug. 17.
The slowdowns come after the United States imposed sanctions on nearly a dozen Chinese companies that are accused of enabling or participating in the oppression of people of the Uighur ethnicity.
Workers sue UNC System
College workers who said job conditions during the coronavirus pandemic put them at risk have filed a lawsuit against the University of North Carolina System.
“Essential workers across UNC System campuses continue to report to work with inadequate protective equipment to ensure their safety,” the UE Local 150 North Carolina Public Service Workers Union said, according to The News & Observer.
The lawsuit was filed Monday, the same day classes started at N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill. The start of school brought tens of thousands of students to campuses.
After moving to virtual classes in the spring, the UNC System has said campuses are reopening with adjustments to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
But the group representing professors, housekeepers and other workers in the lawsuit asks the system to “fulfill its non-delegable duty to provide conditions of employment and a place of employment free of hazards that are likely to cause serious harm, even death, to employees,” The N&O reported.
Unemployment confusion
The weekly $600 boost to state unemployment benefits from the federal government recently ended, and Congress didn’t agree on a plan to extend the measure.
President Donald Trump over the weekend said he could extend the benefits without Congress and announced a plan to give unemployed Americans an extra $400 a week instead of the $600. But it’s been unclear if states will have to pay for part of it.
North Carolina leaders aren’t saying if the state will participate in the plan, The News & Observer reports.
Trump’s plan would take money from FEMA’s disaster relief fund because only Congress can approve new spending. But White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said there are plans to make sure too much money wouldn’t be taken from FEMA.
McEnany said there will be an application process for states that decide to participate. They could likely use funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) or existing unemployment funds to pay in, she said.
Kerry McComber, a spokesperson for the N.C. Division of Employment Security, told The N&O on Monday that it’s unclear how the president’s plan would work in North Carolina if the state opted in. It’s also unclear when it would begin and how much it would cost the state.
Duke researchers test face masks
A team of researchers at Duke University tested face coverings to find out which were most effective at helping to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Scientists had study participants speak into a box while wearing 15 different face masks. Laser beams lit up droplets coming from each person’s mouth — particles that can transmit COVID-19.
Researchers say they found N95 masks, which medical professionals sometimes use, are most effective at preventing spread.
The most droplets got through a bandana, which let through about half as many particles as no covering.
Football players test positive
Five players on a summer football team tested positive for COVID-19, North Carolina officials say.
The team members were living together while participating in the summer sports session at AHOP Christian Leadership Academy, a private school in Orange County.
The exposure happened more than two weeks ago, and county officials have been working with the school to determine the best time to restart practices, The News & Observer reported Monday.
Republican National Convention will be ‘high risk’
The Republican National Convention will be much smaller than originally planned, but it is still considered a “high-risk” event in Charlotte, a senior adviser says.
Up to 500 people are expected to attend the business meeting of the convention Aug. 21-24, a huge drop from the initial plan for 50,000. Parties and celebrations common to presidential nominating conventions will not be held in Charlotte.
Protocols are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Dr. Jeffrey Runge, a former medical director for the Department of Homeland Security and the RNC’s senior adviser for health and safety planning, told the Charlotte City Council on Monday. They include testing delegates twice: before they travel and once they arrive.
This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 7:05 AM.
