Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Dec. 14
Click here for updates for Dec. 15.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases surpass 441,000
At least 441,365 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 5,855 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday reported 4,770 new COVID-19 cases, down from 6,819 the day before.
Thirty-two coronavirus-related deaths were reported Monday.
At least 2,553 people in North Carolina were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday.
About 11.6% 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.
CIAA cancels basketball season
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announced Monday it is canceling the 2021 men’s and women’s basketball seasons over COVID-19 concerns.
The season was scheduled to begin Jan. 9, The News & Observer reported.
“Unfortunately, the COVID-19 continues to challenge the conference’s ability to see a clear path to move forward collectively,” CIAA commissioner Jacqie McWilliams said in a statement. “I want to commend our Board of Directors for exemplifying courageous leadership in college sports to ensure the well-being of the CIAA as well as the health and safety of our student-athletes and communities.”
The CIAA previously canceled its football season because of the pandemic. It also canceled the volleyball season, which was moved from the fall to the spring.
COVID-19 vaccine shipments come NC
North Carolina hospitalsreceived their first shipments of vaccines to help protect against the coronavirus.
Dr. Katie Passaretti, the medical director of infection prevention at Atrium Health, was the first person in the state to receive a COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the FDA, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“This is an exciting day as we enter a very hopeful phase in defeating this virus,” the Charlotte-area hospital system wrote Monday on Twitter.
Other shipments went to Duke Hospital in Durham and Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem for employee vaccinations.
“It’s a limited supply for now, but this is a remarkable achievement for science and health,” Gov. Roy Cooper said on Twitter. “We all need to keep wearing a mask and acting responsibly while we get as many people vaccinated as fast as we can.”
This week, 50 hospitals in North Carolina are expected to get 85,000 vaccine doses. The vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech must be kept at cold temperatures.
Wake schools poised to move back online
The Wake County school board recommended suspending in-person instruction in January during Monday’s meeting.
Administrators suggested suspending classes from Jan. 4 to Jan. 15, citing the rising number of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina and difficulty staffing given the number of employees in quarantine, The News & Observer reported. Under the proposal, students would finish out the rest of this week with in-person learning but complete the remainder of the fall semester online.
The board is scheduled to vote Tuesday.
Wake County recorded 3,389 COVID-19 cases over the past week, compared to 3,022 the week before, The N&O reported Sunday.
Some Wake County elementary and middle school students as well as some special education students are currently getting at least some face-to-face instruction.
Effects of Thanksgiving gatherings
North Carolina is seeing high levels of virus spread, as indicated by last week’s troubling data.
At least 80 percent of the state’s 100 counties are in the orange or red categories of the statewide alert system that gives an indication of community spread.
The rising cases are likely a result of people “who went to Thanksgiving already sick” and spread the virus in family gatherings, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state health department.
Cohen urged people to avoid travel for Christmas.
“Please, please avoid traveling and gathering this holiday season,” she said.
In the Triangle, the number of infections are up in Wake, Orange and Durham counties. In Durham, 900 people tested positive for COVID-19, up from 559 cases the week before.
“We expected significant increases following the Thanksgiving holiday, and we are starting to truly feel those consequences that we predicted,” Rod Jenkins, Durham County health director, said Friday in a video. As we move forward into the fall and winter, don’t let this holiday season be a reason we see even larger, faster spread.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 7:45 AM.
