Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Dec. 7
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Hospitalizations set new record
At least 399,362 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 5,560 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday reported 4,372 new COVID-19 cases, down from 6,438 the day before. Sunday’s total set a new daily case record and was the second straight day the caseload exceeded 6,000.
Seventeen additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Monday.
A record 2,240 people in North Carolina were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday. The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units also reached an all-time high of 528.
About 10.5% of tests were reported positive as of Saturday, the latest day for which data are available. That’s above the 5% target set by health officials.
DHHS releases list of 11 hospitals getting COVID-19 vaccine
At least 11 hospitals in North Carolina ranging from small community hospitals to large research institutions are slated to receive the first round of coronavirus vaccines in the state, according to a list released Monday.
They include WakeMed, Novant hospitals in Charlotte and the Triad, and Vidant Health hospitals in Eastern North Carolina.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, the state Secretary of Health and Human Services, said health care employees in North Carolina could receive the vaccine as early as next week. The state is expecting 85,000 doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer if it receives federal authorization on Thursday, The News & Observer reported.
The news comes as Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey asked Gov. Roy Cooper to give firefighters and first responders higher priority for receiving the vaccine.
In a letter last week, Causey said they should be treated the same as “frontline healthcare workers and other vulnerable populations.”
“Healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, are rightly afforded the opportunity to work in a controlled environment with properly ventilated rooms and other protective measures,” he wrote. “First responders, operating in the pre-hospital environment, are not always provided these same protections.”
More than 100 Charlotte schools report coronavirus cases
A group of teachers in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is pushing for safer working conditions as the number of new COVID-19 cases in the district climbs.
More than 900 people have signed a petition titled “Safer Schools Now,” which asks the school board to adopt five measures in reopening school buildings until a vaccine is widely available, the Charlotte Observer reported.
While there have been no known COVID-19 outbreaks in the district, chief school performance officer Kathy Elling said more than 100 schools have reported a positive case in the last two weeks — “the highest that figure has been since some students returned,” according to the Observer.
At least 102 schools reported one case and 51 schools reported two cases. There were at least 67 students and 94 staff members who tested positive for the virus between Nov. 25 and Dec. 4.
Concert organizer cited for violating COVID-19 rules
The organizer of a concert held Sunday in Zebulon, North Carolina, has been charged with violating North Carolina’s COVID-19 executive order that limits the size of gatherings.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a noise complaint at 6221 Lula Ridge Drive around 9 p.m. Sunday. They found an estimated 150 to 200 people gathered for a concert, The News & Observer reported.
Nanci Morales-Gonzales, 20, was charged with participating in an outdoors mass gathering.
The charge is a Class 2 misdemeanor, and Morales-Gonzales could face a $150 fine if she is found guilty.
Charlotte judge tests positive
Chief District Judge Elizabeth Trosch in Mecklenburg County has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Trosch helped spearhead the county’s efforts to safely reopen the courthouse in the midst of the pandemic, the Charlotte Observer reported. She confirmed the test results in an open letter Monday.
“I am writing to share with you that I tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday,” Trosch said in a letter sent out by the courthouse. “I am isolating at home until Dec. 13th at the direction of the Mecklenburg County Public Health Director.”
She is the second Mecklenburg County judge known to have contracted the coronavirus after Superior Court Judge Donnie Hoover and his wife tested positive in March.
Cases reported at Charlotte homeless shelter
The number of COVID-19 cases at a North Carolina homeless shelter has risen to 45.
The Salvation Army Center of Hope in Charlotte said it has been working with public health officials since the outbreak was first discovered in November. Deronda Metz, social services director, said it’s a sign that people in need of places to stay will be at risk as coronavirus continues its spread.
“Demand is so great,” Metz said. “It’s so great. I think that’s one of the things COVID revealed.”
The outbreak also reflects the challenges for homeless shelters as colder temperatures may draw more people indoors, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Wake County case surge outpaces state average
In Wake County, home to Raleigh, the post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 caseload is outpacing the average across North Carolina.
New infections in Wake rose 40.3% since last week, compared to 32.8% statewide. In the area, Saturday’s case count of 734 marked the highest single-day total, The News & Observer reported.
Elsewhere in the Triangle, the case increase in Orange County is near the statewide rate. In Durham County, a decrease in the case count put it below North Carolina’s average.
Sign-up for NC COVID-19 relief check ends Monday afternoon
North Carolina parents eligible to receive $335 coronavirus relief payments must send in applications before 2 p.m. Monday.
A court order extended the deadline for the checks that are meant to help families with child care costs during COVID-19, The Charlotte Observer reported. Though the checks have been going to many families, some parents who didn’t file last year’s state tax returns originally had just over a month to send in applications to receive the relief money.
By late December, the N.C. Department of Revenue could give out millions of dollars. Parents seeking relief can go to 335forNC.com or call 800-215-5988.
Medical workers will get first doses of vaccine
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state health department, gave an update on North Carolina’s vaccine distribution plan Sunday on CNN.
North Carolina expects to receive 85,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which Cohen said will be enough to vaccinate workers at 50 to 60 hospitals statewide, during the first week of distribution.
Medical workers who are around COVID-19 patients will be prioritized, Cohen said.
“We know the first week, it’ll just go to our hospitals,” Cohen said on CNN. “By the second week we hope to have both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccine, and that is when we think we’ll be able to get to both our hospitals and our long-term care settings.”
Vaccines in long-term care facilities will be administered through the federal government’s partnership with CVS and Walgreens, meaning North Carolina will focus primarily on vaccinating medical workers, according to Cohen.
Health officials consider further action
As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in North Carolina, state health officials are weighing additional steps to control the spread of the virus.
“In less than a week, we went from exceeding 5,000 new cases reported in one day to exceeding 6,000,” Cohen said in a statement released Saturday. “This is very worrisome.”
She said health officials are looking at “what further actions we can take” to protect North Carolinians.
“I am asking each North Carolinian to take personal responsibility for their actions and slowing the spread of this virus,” she said in the statement. “Always wear a mask when with people you don’t live with, keep your distance from other people and wash your hands often.”
The state has gone from having never reached 3,000 daily cases to topping 6,000 in less than a month.
Hundreds attend Christmas parade despite warnings
Hundreds gathered for a Christmas parade Saturday in Youngsville as the town refused to cancel the event despite strong urging from the Franklin County Health Department and Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders.
It’s the only Triangle town and one of the few in the state to break with health officials’ recommendations.
Signs posted along the parade route encouraged masks and social distancing.
About half of attendees and about half of those in the parade wore masks, The News & Observer reports. Some kept “tight family clusters” but “just as many did not.”
“I’m taking the risk,” Lindsey Newton, a pre-K teacher who lives along the parade route and who wore a mask, told The N&O. “It’s tradition. If I could go to every person and say ‘Put your mask on,’ I’d probably get hit in the face. All I can say is the Good Lord’s in control.”
Multiple Charlotte businesses temporarily close
Common Market South End and Town Brewing Co. in Charlotte temporarily closed on Sunday, joining three other businesses that closed on Friday after employees tested positive for the coronavirus.
The market says it plans to reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday after the store is professionally cleaned and staff members are tested for the virus. The brewery did not announce a reopening date but said it will be closed for cleaning and that staff will be tested for the virus.
This comes after The Gin Mill South End on South Tryon Street closed temporarily after two employees tested positive, management posted on Facebook.
A worker at Thomas Street Tavern also tested positive on Friday, prompting the establishment to close until all employees can be tested and the site thoroughly cleaned, management posted on social media Saturday.
And The Workman’s Friend on Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood closed after one employee tested positive, the Irish restaurant and pub posted on Facebook.
From restaurants to breweries, many other Charlotte gathering spots have closed temporarily at times during the pandemic after employees tested positive for the disease.
On Thursday, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery on Yancey Road in Charlotte temporarily closed its restaurant after an employee reported testing positive for COVID-19.
Another Charlotte business, a clothing retailer called 704 Shop, said it would halt in-person shopping to protect community members from the coronavirus. The business, which reported no known infections among workers, is offering shipping and curbside pickup options, according to the store.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 6:58 AM.
