Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Dec. 18
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases, hospitalizations hit record highs
At least 466,104 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 6,125 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported 8,444 new COVID-19 cases, up from 5,786 the day before and the highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic. Friday’s daily case count passed the previous record of 7,540 set on Dec. 11.
Sixty coronavirus-related deaths were reported Friday.
At least 2,824 people in North Carolina were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday — a single-day high.
About 10.5% of tests were reported positive as of Wednesday, the latest day for which data are available. Health officials have said that number should be 5% or lower to slow the spread of COVID-19.
NC prison becomes coronavirus hotspot
Nash Correctional Institution in eastern North Carolina went from having zero COVID-19 cases in November to more than 140 as of Friday.
At least 149 of the prison’s 630 inmates have been infected, and one person has died, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Prison spokesman John Bull told the Observer they don’t know how the coronavirus entered the prison, but family members and friends of those inside have heard varying stories — from an inmate transfer to a janitor asked to clean out the cell of another inmate who tested positive.
Most prison outbreaks elsewhere in the state seem to have come from staff members who picked it up in their communities, the Observer reported.
Some inmates say there hasn’t been enough testing, though Bull said 500 tests were done in the prison this month. Others have heard of inmates who test positive being allowed in common areas unmasked for prolonged periods of time.
“I understand the prison system is understaffed,” Michele Perry, who has a friend at Nash, told the Observer. “But this seems at best neglectful.”
NCCU hosts play about COVID’s impact on marginalized communities
A play hosted by N.C. Central University on Saturday is aimed at helping people understand how the coronavirus has impacted communities of color.
“A Crisis in Moments” by Dasan Ahanu is seven vignettes conveying health messages through “theatrical performance,” The News & Observer reported.
Undi Hoffler, director of Research Compliance and Technology Transfer at NCCU, said the play is meant to allow people to relate to the characters and adjust their behavior accordingly.
“People take it in differently,” Hoffler told The N&O. “People see themselves in the characters, and then that’s how that information is actually able to, in some ways, make an even greater impact than just listening to a lecture.”
‘Forever chemicals’ hinder effectiveness of vaccine
“Forever chemicals” also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in some drinking water in North Carolina could impact the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccine, scientists say.
Research has shown PFAS lead to immune suppression, said Jamie DeWitt, an East Carolina University toxicologist.
“The vaccine is going to be effective based on its formulation,” DeWitt said. “What PFAS affect is the body’s ability to make antibodies against the vaccine.”
More than a million people who live along the Haw and Cape Fear Rivers in North Carolina have been exposed to PFAS in their drinking water, The News & Observer reported.
Wake Forest football game called off
Florida State canceled its game against Wake Forest on Saturday after informing the ACC that a positive COVID-19 test and subsequent quarantining and contact tracing left them without enough available offensive linemen.
This is the third time Florida State has called off a game within 24 hours of kick-off, The News & Observer reported.
Wake Forest had to pause its season because of positive coronavirus tests and just returned to playing last week. The team lost 45-21 at Louisville.
Clusters reported at Charlotte schools
There are active coronavirus clusters at 46 congregate living centers and four child care centers in Charlotte.
Mecklenburg Public Health released information about the clusters on Friday, the Charlotte Observer reported. They include Davidson Day School and Francis Bradley Middle School in Huntersville.
“This is the first identified cluster in a CMS facility,” district spokeswoman Yaviri Escalera said in a statement Friday afternoon about Bradley Middle School. “All impacted students and staff were notified last week of confirmed cases and/or the need to quarantine due to close contact with infected persons. No impacted students or staff have been in the building since notification was made.”
The clusters come as Mecklenburg County reported record hospitalizations on Friday, which have climbed by nearly 36% in the first half of December, the Observer reported.
The county also reported a record 937 new coronavirus cases on Friday.
NC father, son accused of coronavirus relief fraud
A North Carolina father and son are accused of participating in a scheme to get more than $1.7 million in coronavirus relief money.
Izzat Freitekh, who owns a restaurant in Charlotte, and his son Tarik Freitekh are charged with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to federal prosecutors. In court documents, officials say the family members exaggerated employee salaries to get funds from the Payment Protection Program, meant to help businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.
Izzat Freitekh told The Charlotte Observer the two are innocent.
“We trust the courts,” he said. “We trust the judges in Charlotte and all over the country. You should wait until the end of the story when the judge will say to me, ‘You were right. You are not guilty.’”
A lawyer for Tarik Freitekh declined to comment.
Most NC highway patrol cadets get positive COVID-19 tests
Dozens of N.C. State Highway Patrol cadets tested positive for COVID-19, officials say.
At least 37 cadets and two staffers were diagnosed with the disease, according to Sgt. Christopher Knox. Officials say the infections didn’t impact training or Friday’s graduation.
“All of the 50 cadets and staff on campus were tested once it was determined that a member of the group displayed symptoms consistent with COVID-19,” Knox, a highway patrol spokesperson, wrote in an email. “We have worked in conjunction with the local health department during this unfortunate event to ensure these members were quarantined in compliance with health guidelines.”
Highway patrol says it has safety precautions in place during training, The News & Observer reported.
COVID-19 cluster reported at Wake County schools
The Wake County school district on Thursday reported its first coronavirus cluster and a new record caseload.
In the past week, the number of new cases in the district reached 128, up from 84 cases reported the week before and the highest level since the start of the pandemic. Sixty-nine of the recent infections were among students, according to Wake schools.
The cases were spread across 83 schools of the more than 190 in the district. Health officials have said it’s “reasonable to expect” each campus to have one new case per week, The News & Observer reported.
Also in the latest schools report, at least five COVID-19 infections were tied to Lynn Road Elementary School within a span of 14 days. People in the cluster at the Raleigh school were told to go into isolation or quarantine, officials say.
Wake students are scheduled to start winter break this weekend. The district is pausing face-to-face classes from Jan. 4-15 due to fears about a possible case surge and trouble finding substitute teachers.
Traffic expected to pick up at Charlotte airport
A holiday travel spike is expected to start this week at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The airport predicts 14,000 to 15,000 travelers on peak days. That’s lower than the 30,000 to 33,000 passengers it saw during the height of December travel last year, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Additional passengers are expected to have connecting flights through the airport, officials say.
This year, health experts have encouraged people to avoid travel and skip holiday gatherings to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Schools chosen for COVID-19 testing kits
At least 17 school districts and 11 charter schools in North Carolina are slated to receive coronavirus testing kits under a pilot program rolled out by the Department of Health and Human Services.
About 50,000 federally funded rapid antigen tests will go to the schools in the program to test staff with symptoms or those who have been in close contact with a person who tested positive, The News & Observer reported.
Only schools with in-person instruction were eligible for the program.
“This program gives us another tool in our toolkit to slow the spread of COVID-19 across our state and to keep children in the classroom, which we know is vital not only to their academic growth but also to their health and emotional development,” DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a statement.
First vaccines given to Novant workers in Charlotte
Novant Health’s Presbyterian Medical Center doled out its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday to front-line workers.
State health officials have warned the vaccine’s arrival won’t prevent cases from surging after Christmas, but many doctors expressed hope at what it represents — the beginning of the end.
“My experience was relatively good,” COVID-19 vaccinator Caitlin Shannon told reporters during a news conference. “I do trust the system, that it’s been vetted. I think it’s most important to control this virus so we can get on with our lives and go back to being around each other.”
Thursday’s vaccine distribution was the second in Mecklenburg County this week after Atrium Health received its first shipment of Pfizer vaccines on Monday.
There were no reported severe allergic reactions or significant side effects at Atrium, infectious disease physician Dr. Lewis McCurdy said.
Cooper, Cohen greet health care workers getting vaccine
Gov. Roy Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, the DHHS secretary, watched front-line workers at UNC Medical Center get the coronavirus vaccine on Thursday.
Both said they wanted to celebrate the occasion and thank those involved in person, The News & Observer reported.
“It’s actually, frankly, very emotional to see our front-line health care workers who have worked so hard for us all year, to see them being cared for and to have this tool for them,” Cohen said afterward. “I heard words like ‘hope’ and ‘honored’ to be able to get this very limited supply of vaccine that we have at this moment.”
North Carolina received 85,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week and is expected to receive an additional 61,000 doses next week.
If the Moderna vaccine receives emergency use authorization this week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as expected, Cooper said the state will get 175,000 doses next week.
75 coronavirus cases linked to church event
At least 75 COVID-19 cases have been linked to a church event at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, county health officials said Thursday.
The event was held the weekend of Dec. 5, the Henderson County Health Department said in a news release. Hendersonville is in Western North Carolina, just south of Asheville.
“With a strong sense of unity, our ministers and deacons have decided to put our church on a thirty-day pause in regard to on-site worship,” the church said Tuesday in a Facebook post. “This also includes all ministry activities. The current wave of virus infection is so widespread that we must take action out of concern for the safety of our church, our community, and especially those who are most vulnerable in our midst.”
Most NC counties at COVID-19 ‘tipping point’
The majority of North Carolina counties are at a “critical” level for coronavirus risk ahead of Christmas, Harvard researchers say.
Of the 100 counties statewide, Chatham and Clay counties were the only two not marked red on a COVID-19 tracking map from the Harvard Global Health Institute. All other parts of North Carolina were at a “tipping point” for the virus.
It’s a jump from before Thanksgiving, when 42 counties were in the red zone on the Harvard map.
To come up with the data, researchers say they studied each county’s seven-day average of new coronavirus infections and compared that total to population size.
State paid too much in unemployment benefits
North Carolina is taking steps to recoup money after paying people too much in unemployment benefits during the pandemic, officials say.
Between April and September, data show, the state overpaid $61.5 million to 46,800 people. Across the state, more than 1.3 million people received unemployment benefits as the pandemic dealt a blow to businesses.
The N.C. Division of Employment Security said it will try to get back the money by cutting many people’s remaining benefits by 50%.
Officials say most of the people getting reduced benefits had received money they weren’t eligible for “because of corrected information about their earnings or the reason they lost employment,” The News & Observer reported Thursday. Lawyers in the state say applicants may have been confused about unemployment options.
Michael D. Brown said he appealed after receiving a request to return more than $13,000 he received in benefits.
“I’m really just a guy who’s trying to get through the next day at any given moment,” Brown said.
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 7:04 AM.
