Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Nov. 11
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Daily cases, hospitalizations reach new records
At least 300,561 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 4,698 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 3,119 new COVID-19 cases, up from 2,582 reported the day before and a daily record during the pandemic. The total was more than the previous high of 2,908 set on Friday.
The new count also means the state passed 300,000 cases less than two months after exceeding 200,000.
The latest count comes after the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday hit a record high of 2,438. The average gives a wider view of infections over the course of a week.
Thirty-eight coronavirus-related deaths were reported in the state on Wednesday.
About 7.9% of tests were reported positive on Monday, the latest day for which data are available. That’s above the 5% target set by health officials.
At least 1,246 people in North Carolina were reportedly hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, up from 1,230 the day before. The single-day total was the highest since the start of the pandemic, surpassing the previous record 1,236 reported on July 29.
The U.S. also passed 10 million coronavirus cases on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
NC practice looking for COVID-19 trial participants
Tryon Medical Partners is seeking up to 900 people who want to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine trial.
The Charlotte-area medical practice has teamed up with research partner Javara to sign up patients for the study from Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Tryon Medical is participating in several vaccine trials to “play an active role on behalf of our patients” in stopping the virus’ spread, CEO Dale Owen said. Those interested in the latest study can call 704-586-9386.
The news comes after the Durham VA Health Care System on Monday started taking on volunteers for a coronavirus vaccine study. Many of the more than 300 people who expressed interest served in the military.
“I felt it was a perfect opportunity to basically continue to serve my country,” said Frank Bray, a veteran and assistant chief of the respiratory department. “This was a golden opportunity to not only serve our veterans, but also the population at large.
Deadline to apply for rental assistance approaches
An deadline is approaching for North Carolina residents wanting to avoid evictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (HOPE) program will stop taking applications at 6 p.m. Nov. 11 as $117 million in program funding runs out, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Since Oct. 15, people seeking help with rent and utilities have filled out more than 37,000 applications. Eligible tenants “make 80% or lower than the area median income; have faced financial hardship due to the pandemic; and are behind on rent or utility payments,” The News & Observer reported.
The program is designed to pay landlords directly to allow them to stay in their homes through 2020. Applications are available at nc211.org/hope/.
2 Charlotte hospitals systems aim to be early vaccine distributors
Another Charlotte hospital system announced it was taking steps toward helping with distribution of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine candidate.
Novant Health on Wednesday said it bought refrigeration units that could store the vaccine.
The news came after Atrium Health CEO Gene Woods said Tuesday its Charlotte hospital network would be prepared to be an “early site” for vaccine distribution.
Pfizer and partner company BioNTech announced Monday they had a vaccine that was more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19. The vaccine has to be stored between minus 70 and minus 80 degrees Celsius, and Atrium has already purchased refrigeration units that could hold up to 300,000 doses of the vaccine, Woods said.
“We anticipate Atrium being one of the early sites chosen to work directly with the Department of Health and Human Services to help with the distribution,” he said at a meeting of Atrium’s Board of Commissioners Tuesday.
Pfizer plans to manufacture up to 50 million doses of the vaccine this year, the Charlotte Observer reported.
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UNC asks for donations; no Cameron Crazies for Duke basketball
UNC-Chapel Hill is asking for donations from athletics boosters as the school faces millions in lost money during the pandemic.
The school predicts it could lose up to $30 million as it faces coronavirus-related hardships, including lower television revenue and fewer fans in stadiums. Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham on Tuesday told Rams Club members they could give to varsity programs through the new Carolina Victory Fund.
“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been catastrophic to our budget, and we are asking our top benefactors to ensure continued opportunities across our broad-based program by contributing to the Carolina Victory Fund,” Cunningham said in a statement.
The news comes as Duke University is continuing to prohibit fans from sporting events due to the coronavirus.
That means basketball fans known as Cameron Crazies won’t be cheering on the team at home games, The News & Observer reported Tuesday.
“As Duke University continues to be an industry leader per providing a safe environment for intercollegiate athletic competition, the decision to maintain our non-spectator protocol is imperative for the overall health and safety of the Blue Devil fan base, student-athletes, coaches and support staff, notwithstanding the immediate campus population comprised of students, faculty and staff,” Kevin White, vice president and athletics director, said in a statement.
This season’s competitions are scheduled to start Nov. 25 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, where Duke has sold out more than 400 games straight.
“Not having fans is huge, especially for a program like us with the Cameron Crazies so historically involved in our program,” said Wendell Moore Jr., a forward for the Blue Devils. “It gives us the ultimate home court advantage.”
Charlotte cases climb, but lockdown would be a ‘hard sell’
Expanding coronavirus-related restrictions would be a “hard sell” in the Charlotte area, despite the average number of daily cases almost doubling in recent weeks, said Gibbie Harris, Mecklenburg County public health director.
In Mecklenburg, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and the percentage of positive tests are on the rise. Increased testing only explains part of the reason the caseload has gone up.
“Over the last 30 days, the number of tests given to Mecklenburg residents has increased by about 20% compared to the 30 days prior,” The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday. “In that same time frame, cases among county residents rose by more than 115%.”
Triangle employers hiring as NC unemployment falls
The Triangle could see holiday and full-time job opportunities even as seasonal hiring is down nationwide.
Companies are starting to look for employees after North Carolina saw its unemployment rate fall to the lowest level since the pandemic hit the state.
“While the pandemic and related restrictions on small businesses have severely limited full-time jobs across North Carolina, there is still a demand for workers,” Gregg Thompson, North Carolina director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said in a news release. “We are seeing a need for part-time workers, especially during the upcoming holiday sales season, and there is a critical shortage of skilled workers in construction.”
Most of the seasonal jobs are in warehouses, a reflection of changing consumer habits in recent months. Among the employers hiring in North Carolina is online retailer Amazon, which saw a rise in demand during the coronavirus pandemic.
Cooper extends Phase 3, limits indoor gatherings
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that North Carolina will stay in Phase 3 as coronavirus case numbers continue to climb. He also reduced the number of people allowed to gather indoors from 25 to 10.
“The science shows that the transmission of this virus is much greater indoors,” Cooper said. “And the more people who are gathered, the easier this virus can spread. We saw increasing spread from social gatherings in October.”
No more than 50 people are still allowed at outdoor gatherings under the extension.
This is the second time Cooper has opted to extend Phase 3, which was set to expire Friday. Phase 3 first started Oct. 2 and allowed bars, entertainment venues, movie theaters and large outdoor arenas to open with some restrictions. Cooper first extended the order on Oct. 21.
The new order will expire at 5 p.m. Dec. 4.
Case counts have continued to climb as North Carolina families prepare for the holiday season, but Cooper has said he doesn’t want to go backward by reinstating earlier restrictions, according to The The News & Observer.
In the interim, Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, has encouraged people to wear face masks when around people outside their household and to limit family gatherings around the holidays.
“Bottom line, we are on shaky ground as we head into Thanksgiving,” she said.
After the announcement, some Charlotte bar and nightclub operators said they were disappointed that Phase 3 was extended. Bars are allowed to serve customers outside with restrictions.
“I don’t think people realize how much it affects other people,” said Jackie DeLoach, owner of Hattie’s Tap & Tavern in Charlotte. “I mean this is our livelihood. Until people really understand that wearing a mask and not (being) in big groups is the way to fight this, we’re going to be stuck in this position for a while.
RTI studies disease spread in sailors
The Research Triangle Park-based nonprofit RTI International and Garmin are partnering for a new Defense Department study that will monitor the spread of disease among sailors living in close quarters on a ship, The News & Observer reported.
The study comes after 1,200 sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier tested positive for COVID-19 over a short period of time in March.
Sailors in the study will wear a Garmin watch that has an application designed by RTI. The app tracks vitals, respiratory rates and oxygen saturation, and it will allow researchers to more closely monitor a person’s heart rate — which changes when a person is infected with the coronavirus or the flu, according to The N&O.
“We know disease detection is doable using these health metrics,” Robert Furberg, a health data researcher at RTI, said in an interview. “The driving question here is, ‘Does using data that is more granular … does that lead us to a way to optimize these detection solutions?’”
Wake releases plan for spring semester
Wake County administrators have recommended sending high school students back to campus for in-person instruction in January under a proposed plan that would give most students some face-to-face instruction for the spring semester.
The plan excludes students enrolled in the Virtual Academy and provides a mix of in-person and online learning for middle and high school students in Wake County schools, The News & Observer reported.
School board officials could approve it next week, but the plan could change according to what state restrictions are put in place.
Pre-K through third-grade students and K-12 special-education students already returned to school on a rotational basis Oct. 26, and middle school students cycled into a similar rotation on Monday.
Charlotte 49ers furlough athletic staff
UNC Charlotte has ordered some athletic department employees to take 10 days of unpaid leave between now and June.
The move affects any employees making more than $50,000 a year — including football coach Will Healy and men’s basketball coach Ron Sanchez — as the university weighs the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Without changes, our mission to administer successful, rewarding programs for our student-athletes will be affected, as will our department’s overall viability,” Athletic Director Mike Hill wrote in a letter announcing the furloughs.
Veterans volunteer for COVID-19 study
More than 300 people in the Durham VA Health Care System — many of them veterans — have volunteered to participate in a coronavirus vaccine study.
The ENSEMBLE study will test a vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, for COVID-19. The VA, which started enrolling volunteers Monday, has attracted interest from 220 U.S. military veterans and about 90 employees — many of whom are also veterans.
“I felt it was a perfect opportunity to basically continue to serve my country,” said Frank Bray, assistant chief of the Durham VA’s respiratory department and an Army veteran who served from 1984 to 1993. “This was a golden opportunity to not only serve our veterans, but also the population at large.”
The ENSEMBLE study will be the fourth large-scale vaccine study in the U.S. and is projected to last for up to two years, The News & Observer reported.
Its participants will receive an injection of either the test vaccine or a placebo saline solution. Neither the patients nor their treatment team will know who got which, and they will be monitored for any reactions to the vaccine or possible development of antibodies.
More families are relying on charities for food
More families in North Carolina are worried about not having enough to eat compared to before the pandemic, a new study finds.
Greater percentages of people in the survey also said they didn’t have enough money for balanced meals and that groceries were running out faster as the coronavirus spreads, results show.
To come up with the results, N.C. State University researchers conducted a survey of 383 people from health departments and cooperative extensions across the state, The News & Observer reported Monday. Data was published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development in October.
The results come as charities are seeing increased demand for food.
“This thing hit everybody,” said Sylvia Wiggins, director of the Helping Hand Mission. “We see them across the aisles: working people, different populations.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 7:09 AM.
