Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Dec. 28
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases surpass 520,000
At least 520,716 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 6,561 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday reported 3,888 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths. Hospitalizations reached a record high, with 3,192 people hospitalized and 96% of hospitals reporting.
At least 733 patients were also in intensive care on Monday — a new high.
That figure has doubled in the six weeks since Nov. 16, and coronavirus hospitalizations across the board have doubled in the last 38 days, The News & Observer reported.
COVID-19 postpones Duke game
Duke University’s basketball game against Pittsburgh on Tuesday has been postponed because of coronavirus issues in the Panthers’ program.
The game was scheduled to take place at Cameron Indoor Stadium but was postponed Monday after a person at Pittsburgh tested positive for the virus, The News & Observer reported. The school previously announced Panthers coach Jeff Capel tested positive for COVID-19.
“It was tough,” Capel said during a Zoom call before the Duke game was postponed. “I had symptoms.”
Vaccine arrives at Cary retirement community
Hundreds of residents at Searstone Retirement Community in Cary were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Monday.
At least 350 people in the community were given the Moderna vaccine throughout the day, Derrick Moore, executive director of Searstone, told The News & Observer.
“This is probably the most important day of 2020 for us,” he said.
Staff received the vaccine first at 9 a.m. Monday followed by nursing home residents, Moore said. Those in assisted living were slated to being receiving the shot at 11:30 a.m.
All but one of Moore’s residents were planning to take the vaccine, The N&O reported.
“They’re excited,” he said. “Maybe this means we’ll get some relief from all this in the next 6 or 8 months.”
Stimulus, unemployment funds headed to NC after Trump signs bill
President Donald Trump signed a stimulus bill that includes $600 relief payments for individuals in North Carolina as well as additional unemployment benefits.
About 40,000 people in North Carolina already receiving unemployment will receive an extra $300 under the bill — meaning an extra $116 million will be distributed statewide per week, The News & Observer reported, citing the North Carolina Justice Center.
Stimulus payments will be automatically dispersed if the Internal Revenue Service has your bank information. If the IRS does not have that information, the funds will be sent in the form of a check or debit card in the mail.
More answers to questions about unemployment benefits, food assistance, paid sick leave and child care under the new stimulus package can be found here.
Researchers use NC wastewater to study COVID-19
Researchers in North Carolina have launched a wastewater surveillance system that will help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detect and understand the coronavirus.
North Carolina is one of eight states whose wastewater data will be used by the federal government, The News & Observer reported.
As vaccines are administered across the state, researchers hope to see concentrations of the coronavirus in wastewater slowing down instead of rising.
“We have our eye on the prize of improving the health overall of people in North Carolina,” said microbiologist Rachel Noble of the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, who is leading the effort in the state. “This is a long-term investment in the health of people in North Carolina.”
Black moms weigh coronavirus vaccine
Black families in North Carolina are struggling with the decision to get vaccinated for the coronavirus, citing a history of distrust in the health care system — from forced sterilization to higher mortality rates among pregnant Black mothers, the Charlotte Observer reported.
“It’s not any fault of our own,” Diamond Staton-Williams, a nurse and elected member of the Harrisburg Town Council, told the Observer. “This country needs to rebuild its trust with the African-American community.”
Black people have historically not participated in vaccine trials. While recruiting people of color was a priority in the COVID-19 vaccination trials, the Observer reported minority participation “increased only slightly.”
Monica Fuller Johnson, a mom of two who works at the Charlotte-based Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, said she hopes to get vaccinated when it becomes available but will wait to vaccinate her sons until more research has been done.
“For me, the benefits outweigh the risks,” she said. “If there are disparities in health care and the health care that we [Black people] receive, the best way for me to prevent needing it is to prevent COVID-19.”
Triangle counties are ‘sustained hotspots,’ White House report says
Wake, Durham and Orange counties are listed as sustained hotspots in the White House COVID-19 Task Force’s Dec. 26 Community Profile Report update.
They are among at least 87 counties in North Carolina on the list, The News & Observer reported.
Sustained hotspots are considered counties with a “high sustained case burden” and those that “may be higher risk for experiencing healthcare resource limitations,” according to the report.
The report comes after the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,500 new COVID-19 cases across the Triangle last week.
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
