Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Nov. 17
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases surpass 317,000
At least 317,495 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 4,852 have died, according to health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported 3,288 new COVID-19 cases, up from 1,972 reported the day before. Tuesday’s daily cases are the second-highest reported since the pandemic, below Saturday’s record case count of 3,885 in North Carolina.
Eight deaths were reported Monday. Officials on Sunday reported 50 new deaths, the second-highest number confirmed on a single day.
At least 1,501 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, the third consecutive record daily total. State officials last week said patient counts would be higher due to a change in how the federal government reports hospital stays.
About 8.6% of tests were reported positive as of Sunday, the latest day for which data are available. That’s above the 5% target set by health officials.
Governor launches new COVID-19 alert system
Gov. Roy Cooper announced a new three-tiered alert system designed to gauge the spread of the coronavirus at the county level.
Officials will use the rate of new cases, percentage of positive test results and impact on hospitals to determine a county’s ranking on a red, orange and yellow scale. They’ve also included enforcement recommendations based on which classification a county falls under.
There are currently 10 counties in North Carolina that are shaded red.
The system, announced on Tuesday, mirrors that of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, with yellow indicating “significant” community spread, orange indicating “substantial” community spread and red indicating “critical” community spread, The News & Observer reported.
“This county alert system shows our viral hotspots,” Cooper said during a news conference. “But let me be clear, the whole state is experiencing widespread transmission. Cases across the country are surging, forcing states to go backward. Right now our metrics are increasing, not surging. But a surge can happen quickly.”
Mecklenburg County is one of 47 counties in the yellow tier, the Charlotte Observer reported. Neighboring Gaston County, however, is red.
In the Triangle, Johnston County is the only county ranked in the orange zone, according to The N&O. Wake and the other surrounding Triangle counties are yellow.
Beloved town Santa dies after COVID-19 diagnosis
A town Santa Claus in North Carolina died Monday after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Jim Helms, also known as “Santa Jim,” was a fixture in Lincolnton at the city parade and in the courthouse square during the holiday season, McClatchy News reported. Lincolnton is about 50 minutes northwest of Charlotte.
Laura Morris, director of community relations for Lincolnton, told McClatchy News that Helms was “larger than life” with “the most beautiful natural white beard you’ve ever seen.”
“If Santa dies of COVID, everybody needs to know it’s real,” Morris said. “It underscores the importance of social distancing and washing your hands and wearing a mask.”
CDC says Duke’s fall testing program worked
A case study published Tuesday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report determined Duke University’s aggressive fall testing program helped quell the spread of the virus.
Under Duke’s program, students were tested when they arrived on campus. The university also utilized pool testing and “frequent surveillance testing” throughout the semester, The News & Observer reported. More than 162,000 tests in total were administered to students and employees since Aug. 2.
Of those, 217 came back positive for a positivity rate of 0.13%.
The study looked at about 70,000 tests given to more than 10,000 students between Aug. 2 and Oct. 11, during which time Duke found 84 positive COVID-19 cases — “most of whom were asymptomatic,” according to The N&O.
“With a lot of hard work and a lot of complementary components you can reduce transmission in environments such as campuses,” said Dr. Tom Denny, professor and chief operating officer at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute.
One quarter of middle, high school students failed remote class
Wake County Schools reported roughly a quarter of middle and high school students had a failing grade in at least one class during the first two months of the school year when learning was remote.
Between 24% and 25% of high school students and about 28% of middle school students had failing grades during the first quarter, The News & Observer reported. Officials attribute the increase over last year’s numbers in-part to attendance rates.
“While not necessarily surprising given the state and national trends that we’re seeing, it indeed is a cause for concern,” Paul Koh, assistant superintendent for student support services, told the school board. “But we must also acknowledge that if it were not for the efforts of our school teams, the early student performance results would be far worse.”
The drop in grades mirrors the trouble school districts have seen statewide. About 40% of students in Guilford County reportedly failed a class during the same time frame, as did 35% of New Hanover County’s middle school students.
Officials in Wake County say they’re revising some policies moving forward, including allowing for more retesting and altering attendance policies.
Charlotte COVID-19 metrics near highs seen over the summer
Hospitalizations and new coronavirus cases in Charlotte are nearing peak points previously reached in July.
The number of daily new cases statewide has already surpassed the then-record highs seen over the summer, the Charlotte Observer reported. But in Mecklenburg County, that figure is still slightly below July’s peak of 328 new daily cases.
County officials reported an average of 300 new daily cases during the first two weeks of November.
The number of people hospitalized in the region is also climbing. Hospitalizations in Mecklenburg County previously peaked in July at around 200 people per day. Average hospitalizations hit 172 this week, the Observer reported.
17 Asheville firefighters test positive for the coronavirus
A multi-week training program has led to 17 firefighters at the Asheville Fire Department testing positive for COVID-19 and an additional 13 going into self-isolation.
The training sessions at Buncombe County Training Center in Woodfin started in late October, McClatchy News reported. At least nine who attended tested positive. Eight others who did not attend also tested positive.
“One (positive test) is one too many,” said Fire Chief Scott Burnette, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported. “We are seeing nationally and at a state level an unbelievable increase in COVID cases. So, for us to also have an increase, unfortunately is not surprising.”
Coronavirus case clusters increase
State health officials on Monday reported 43 new coronavirus clusters in the past week, preliminary data show.
“The total number of cases associated with these clusters is 12,738, an increase of nearly 400 from the week before,” The News & Observer reported.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services also reported seven more deaths related to clusters, which are defined as five or more linked cases in a two-week span.
Some of North Carolina’s case clusters have been tied to meat and poultry plants, colleges and religious events, according to the state.
Coronavirus postpones Charlotte 49ers game
A UNC Charlotte football game scheduled for Saturday has been called off because of the coronavirus.
The game was postponed after positive COVID-19 tests within the athletic program. The 49ers were supposed to face Marshall University and are exploring rescheduling options, The Charlotte Observer reported Monday.
“We’ve been on both sides of these postponements, and either way, it’s incredibly disappointing,” Mike Hill, athletic director for the 49ers, said in a statement. “We will use this week to get healthy and wish Marshall the best this season.”
It’s the sixth time this season that the coronavirus has forced the 49ers to reschedule or cancel a game, according to the Observer.
Union County school worker dies after COVID-19 fight
Melissa Bowman, a longtime employee in the Union County school district, died Friday after a three-month battle with the coronavirus, friends and family members said on Facebook.
Bowman worked in the district for two decades, including 11 years as a data manager at Poplin Elementary.
“Heartbroken is an understatement,” her daughter Madilyn Bowman posted on Facebook on Nov. 14. “Mom passed away tonight after struggling and fighting for every second she had left here on this earth. Her body was so tired and her journey was so rough. We were all there beside her, up until her last moments.”
Friends and family started a GoFundMe for Bowman on Sept. 1, a few weeks after she was admitted to the hospital and put on a ventilator. Her daughter posted periodic updates on Facebook in the weeks since.
On Oct. 7, she wrote that her mom had been in the hospital for 50 days but “the sun is starting to peek through the trees.”
Things took a turn last week, and Melissa Bowman died Friday night. A memorial of flowers and balloons has been set up at Poplin Elementary School in her honor.
CMS sees bus driver shortage ahead of schools reopening
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is delaying reopening most of its middle schools until 2021 after reporting Monday that it could only staff 80.9% of its bus routes.
Chief school performance officer Kathy Elling said bus driver vacancies are harder to fill.
“Transportation is a very different situation,” Elling said. “Our drivers require very specific licensure. We have very limited access to supports when they are on leave.”
CMS middle schoolers were supposed to return to campus on Nov. 23, but the school board voted last week for a delay, The Charlotte Observer reported. Under the new plan, students in K-8 schools will start Nov. 30 and students at middle schools with grades six through eight will return Jan. 5.
UNC got hundreds of reports about students breaking COVID-19 rules
UNC-Chapel Hill received more than 450 reports of its students violating coronavirus regulations this fall, university officials said in a report Monday.
Most of the students received a warning or were restricted from certain campus facilities, The News & Observer reported. But 50 of them were booted from campus housing because of the infractions. In an additional 60 cases, no student was identified or the student wasn’t found responsible.
No students were kicked out of the university over the violations.
“This data reinforces that the vast majority of our students are working very hard to adhere to community standards and are following them whenever possible,” said Amy Johnson, UNC’s vice chancellor for student affairs.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 7:07 AM.
