Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 5
Click here for updates for Jan. 6.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Hospitalizations reach record high
At least 575,396 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 6,996 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported 5,285 new COVID-19 cases, up from 5,187 the day before.
Fifty-five new deaths were reported Tuesday.
A record 3,781 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Tuesday, marking a record for the fourth day in a row.
“Our hospitalization numbers are alarming,” Gov. Roy Cooper said Monday on Twitter. “We must protect hospital capacity so anyone who gets sick for any reason can get the care they need. It’s up to all of us to prevent our health care system from being overwhelmed.”
As of Sunday, the latest day for which data are available, 16.2% of COVID-19 tests were positive. That’s above health officials’ goal of 5% or lower.
NC State postpones two games
The women’s basketball team at N.C. State University has postponed its next two games after a person in the program tested positive for COVID-19.
The team was scheduled to play Virginia Tech on Thursday and at Wake Forest on Sunday, The News & Observer reported.
N.C. State has not set new dates for the games.
Wake plans to bring students back for in-person learning
Wake County schools still plans to bring students back for in-person instruction on Jan. 20 as the number of coronavirus cases continues to spike in North Carolina.
The district was forced to suspend in-person instruction for two weeks after too many teachers had to quarantine because of potential COVID-19 exposures, The News & Observer reported. But administrators said Tuesday they’re hopeful certain measures — such as increasing substitute pay — will allow them to have enough staff when students come back.
Under the current plan, most schools will start in person on Jan. 20, while year-round schools will return Jan. 25.
Elementary students will return for daily in-person classes. Middle and high school students will have a mix of in-person and online classes, according to The N&O.
Students enrolled in the Virtual Academy will not have in-person instruction.
COVID-19 positivity rate spikes in Mecklenburg
The percentage of positive coronavirus tests in Mecklenburg County climbed to 15.6% in the week after Christmas, according to data released Tuesday.
The latest figure is more than double what it was in November, and triple since mid-October, The Charlotte Observer reported.
”COVID-19 is still very much in our community,” Dr. Meg Sullivan, the county’s medical director, said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “It’s really more important than ever that we adhere to all precautions, including limiting gatherings.”
The positivity rate measures the percentage of positive COVID-19 test results in a given area. During the first peak in cases in July, the average positivity rate in Mecklenburg County was 11%.
Dr. David Priest, Novant infectious disease expert, said the current caseload should start to decline again by the end of January as long as people follow safety measures.
Governor activates National Guard to help with vaccine roll-out
Gov. Roy Cooper activated the National Guard in North Carolina on Tuesday to help distribute the coronavirus vaccine.
“Ensuring COVID-19 vaccines are administered quickly is our top priority right now. We will use all resources and personnel needed,” Cooper wrote on Twitter.
The order comes as federal data show North Carolina lagging behind other states in distribution and administration. At least 109,799 people in the state have received the first dose of the vaccine as of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Problems with vaccine hotlines after clinics announced
Callers have flooded phone lines in the Charlotte area after vaccine clinics were announced.
Gaston and Mecklenburg counties reported delays because so many people are reaching out to hotlines, The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday. Officials said they are working to solve the IT issues.
This week, Mecklenburg County announced its first public COVID-19 vaccination clinic would open on Wednesday at Bojangles Coliseum. The clinic requires an appointment, which can be made by calling 980-314-9400 or visiting mecknc.gov/COVID-19 or https://booknow.appointment-plus.com/83g1hcpv/.
Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio told county commissioners “extremely high call volume” means some people have had trouble using the phone line.
To the west, Gaston County is also running a hotline at 704-866-3170. Its vaccine clinic is scheduled to kick off Friday at the Gastonia Farmers Market.
“We are in receipt of many voicemails to the vaccine line,” the county’s website said. “If you have already left a voicemail, do not keep trying to call back — you will be contacted by one of our operators.”
As North Carolina moves into Phase 1b of distribution, the clinics will be open for people 75 or older to get a vaccine, the Observer reported. Groups 2 and 3 of Phase 1b will include health care and frontline workers over age 50 followed by health care and frontline workers of any age.
Second vaccine doses given in NC
Second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are being administered to people in North Carolina.
While North Carolina health care workers began receiving the vaccine on Dec. 14, officials have said a second dose should be given about three weeks later to have the maximum effect.
The news comes as a North Carolina area medical provider on Tuesday was starting to vaccinate its patients.
Novant Health said the vaccinations for people ages 75 or older would be part of a “test-run,” The Charlotte Observer reported.
Nikki Nissen, chief nursing officer, said Winston-Salem and the Charlotte suburb of Matthews would be the first places to participate.
NC Republicans hold gathering without masks
Republicans in North Carolina held another gathering without mask wearing and other precautions as the coronavirus continued its spread.
The N.C. Federation of Young Republicans on Dec. 18 hosted a holiday party in the Moore County town of Carthage, photos show.
As with events the GOP held earlier in December, some attendees shook hands and weren’t wearing face coverings, The News & Observer reported Tuesday. North Carolina has a 10-person limit on indoor gatherings and a statewide mask mandate, with some exceptions.
Tim Wigginton, the state GOP spokesperson, didn’t respond to the N&O’s voicemail messages for comment.
Coronavirus kills two inmates at NC prison
Two more inmates at Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville have died from COVID-19.
The first was a man in his late 50s who died Dec. 29, according to prison officials. The man’s name has not been publicly released.
The second was Doyle Helms, a 73-year-old Vietnam War veteran scheduled for release at the end of March. Both had underlying health conditions.
Alexander Correctional is home to one of the state’s largest COVID-19 outbreaks.
At least 300 inmates have tested positive for the virus since March, and four have died since November, the Charlotte Observer reported.
More than 100 inmates contracted the virus in December. Some family members say the outbreak was precipitated by prison officials moving infected inmates to a minimum-security dorm with individuals who were not infected.
Amanda Wooten, daughter of Doyle Helms, told the Observer she thinks her father would have been safer if they’d left him at Central Prison instead of transferring him to Alexander Correctional.
“I think they failed us,” Wooten said. “I think they failed the prisoners. I think they took (the pandemic) seriously, but I don’t think they took it as seriously as they could have.”
Checkers opt out of NHL season out of COVID-19 concerns
The Charlotte Checkers announced Monday they won’t play in the 2020-21 hockey season, citing concerns over the coronavirus.
The team said it will resume play in the 2021-2022 season, saying the decision was based on “safety and logistical concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“There are several travel, safety and player supply challenges to consider,” Checkers owner and CEO Michael Kahn said in a statement. “Those, coupled with the increasing number of new (COVID-19) cases in our area, make it very unlikely that we will be able to host fans at our games in the near future.”
Coach K in quarantine after COVID-19 exposure
Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski won’t be at the next Blue Devils game after he was possibly exposed to COVID-19.
He and his wife Mickie went into a 10-day quarantine last week after being in contact with a relative who tested positive for the disease.
Krzyzewski, known as Coach K, on Monday said he was in “good health,” The News & Observer reported. He is expected to miss his team’s next home game on Wednesday night against Boston College.
“I’ll be quarantining for the rest of the week,” Krzyzewski said. “I’ll have Zoom meetings with my staff to go over Boston College and put out a practice plan.”
NC residents may be left out of federal unemployment benefits
As the new stimulus bill extends federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, thousands of North Carolina residents still have pending claims from the first round of the program.
The program from the CARES Act has the potential to help people who have run out of state unemployment benefits, gig workers and self-employed people. Unlike for state claims, applicants have to prove they are jobless due to certain coronavirus-related reasons.
As the coronavirus continues its spread, more than a half-million people in North Carolina have applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The N.C. Department of Employment Security said 17,712 residents’ claims were pending as of Dec. 23.
The situation comes after North Carolina in 2013 cut the agency’s budget and shortened the maximum length of state benefits. As the state received unemployment claims in April, the Department of Employment Security said it would bolster its staff.
The “legislature should increase the value and length of state unemployment benefits, which are the lowest in the country,” Dory MacMillan, a Gov. Roy Cooper spokesperson, said in a statement.
Wake’s vaccine rollout could be slower than other counties
At the start of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, Wake County distributed the most “first doses” of any county in North Carolina.
Wake, home to Raleigh, gave out 7,767 vaccine doses from Dec. 14 to Dec. 28, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. But the Wake County Division of Public Health has warned it could take time for the area to roll out vaccines when compared to other parts of the state.
“It will take Wake County longer to get through phases than most other counties simply because we are the most populated county in the state and have a comparatively larger number of health care workers than some other counties,” the county said on its website.
North Carolina is currently under Phase 1A of vaccine distribution, which gives priority to people who live and work in long-term care centers as well as those who work with coronavirus patients.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 7:02 AM.
