Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Aug. 14
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 142,000
At least 142,170 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 2,313 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported an additional 1,346 cases of COVID-19, down from 1,763 cases the day before. Thursday’s total, the highest daily count in more than a week, was still lower than the record 2,481 new cases reported in mid-July.
An additional 26 deaths were also reported Friday.
The health department said Wednesday the number of tests it previously reported is inaccurate due to errors in lab reporting. Officials now say 1.87 million COVID-19 tests have been completed in North Carolina, about 221,000 less than originally reported.
The error, however, does not change the percentage of positive tests or the number of cases reported, officials said.
The health department on Friday reported a positive test rate of 6%. Health officials have long said that rate should be 5% or lower.
Hospitalizations drop
At least 1,049 people in people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Friday, down from 1,070 on Thursday.
Friday’s count is based on data from 90% of hospitals in the state.
Daily hospitalizations have remained above 1,000 since early July, data show.
UNC reports COVID clusters
Two residence halls at UNC-Chapel Hill reported clusters of COVID-19 on Friday — one at Ehringhaus Community and the other at Granville Towers.
State health officials define a cluster as five or more cases, The News & Observer reported.
“The individuals in these clusters have been identified and are isolating and receiving medical monitoring,” a campus alert said. “We have also notified the Orange County Health Department and are working with them to identify additional potential exposures.”
About 5,800 students are living on campus at UNC, which resumed classes on Monday.
Virtual charter schools can’t expand
The North Carolina State Board of Education will not let two virtual charter schools expand enrollment as the coronavirus pandemic forces more students online.
The schools had sought to add up to 3,800 more students, The News & Observer reported.
Several board members had argued in favor of a one-year pandemic-related enrollment cap exemption. But the majority voted against it, citing the schools’ poor performance.
“I want to be sure that in order to provide some options for some students who don’t have them right now that we make sure we don’t send negative ripples all the way across the state and end up affecting a large number of students negatively by trying to help the students that we’re talking about,” board member Jill Camnitz said.
Demand for virtual learning has soared as some schools opt to reopen in spite of COVID-19 concerns, The N&O reported.
The two virtual charter schools currently have close to 9,500 students on their waiting list.
Election officials urge early request for mail-in ballots
The U.S. Postal Service sent a letter Friday to North Carolina’s Secretary of State Elaine Marshall urging voters to request absentee by-mail ballots sooner rather than later, citing potential delays.
Election Day is Nov. 3, and the state deadline to request a ballot is 5 p.m. on Oct. 27, The News & Observer reported.
But state election officials said that date could be too late.
“We’re encouraging folks to put it in the mail at least a week before Election Day,” said Patrick Gannon, spokesman for the state board of elections.
HBCUs threatened by COVID-19
Black Americans are more likely to be infected with the coronavirus and are more likely to suffer from its adverse economic effects — meaning the risk for students returning to campus at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in North Carolina is that much greater, The News & Observer reported.
Shaw University President Paulett Dillard told the N&O her campus has resources some students lack at home.
“These students are economically fragile anyway,” Dillard said. “And there is a large number of these students who come from families where the breadwinners are essential workers, and they work in high-risk jobs.”
She said the pandemic has been “devastating” for students, many of whom have family members out of work because of the pandemic.
HBCUs in the state have received federal CARES Act funding to help keep them afloat — including N.C. Central University in Durham, which received $10 million and was one of the top recipients in the nation among HBCUs, The N&O reported.
At St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, President Irving McPhail said “campus represents for many of our students a safe haven.”
He said wealthier students at other schools might be able to afford to take a year off, but “my kids want to come back to school.”
Mecklenburg wants to expand COVID-19 testing
Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, is hoping to ramp up testing efforts to help stop coronavirus outbreaks, according to Public Health Director Gibbie Harris.
The county is also hoping to test asymptomatic people, as it’s possible up to 40% of those who get sick may not show signs of infection, The Charlotte Observer reported Friday.
“We really need more testing of individuals that are not just feeling ill or know that they’ve been exposed but are in environments where they may have been exposed,” Harris said at a news conference.
Testing volume doubled from May to June and went up again last month, but not by as much. The number of tests seems to hover at about 3,500 to 3,800 per day, figures show.
Governor announces grant program
Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday announced the state is starting a new $15 million grant program for businesses and nonprofits hurt by the coronavirus pandemic.
Businesses that haven’t received funds from other programs could get up to $250,000 through the job-retention grant, the governor said during a news conference.
The grant is funded by federal coronavirus relief. The deadline for applications is Sept. 1.
Students get vaccine extension
Families have an extra two months to get their children vaccinated before they won’t be allowed to attend school in North Carolina.
Cooper signed an executive order Wednesday giving families until the end of October to provide proof of vaccination as the pandemic has made it difficult for many to get immunizations on time. Normally students would be required to provide proof within the first 30 days of school.
Families attending public school for the first time also have an extension to submit a school health assessment.
Students are required by state law to have certain shots whether they attend public or private school or are home schooled. The rule also applies to families who have opted for virtual learning only in the upcoming semester.
School year to start Monday with some uncertainties
Many public school students in North Carolina will start the new academic year Monday, as some people worry about the quality of education.
More than 2 in 3 students are expected to start the semester with online-only classes, while others will have in-person classes under a “moderate social distancing” plan with limited students on campuses and buses.
The anticipated start comes after some parents are still weighing the remote instruction that ended the spring semester.
People have also expressed concerns about low-income students and those with special needs, The News & Observer reported.
School leaders say they’re figuring out ways to offer students the best education while also navigating a semester that’s like no other. Health officials will work with districts to determine the extent of cleanings and closures if outbreaks occur, The N&O reported.
Causes of coronavirus spikes unclear in some areas
State and county officials are using contact tracing to help track down the spread of the coronavirus, but sources of local spikes remain unclear in some cases.
The NC Watchdog Reporting Network studied health and demographic data and determined rural ZIP code 28333 in Wayne County had among the highest infection rates in the state.
County officials have linked growing cases to “new testing sites, population density or concentrations of cases in prisons and nursing homes,” the report published Thursday said. Some health experts have said community spread and testing could make it difficult to pinpoint the source of infections.
This story was originally published August 14, 2020 at 7:09 AM.
