Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 13
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases surpass 641,000
At least 641,073 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 7,745 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 5,098 new COVID-19 cases, down from 6,851 the day before. The state health department said technical issues led to a lower case count for Wednesday.
An additional 120 coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday. During the past week, an average of 96 people died each day — the highest total since the start of the pandemic.
At least 3,951 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Wednesday. That’s the second-highest hospitalization total reported during the pandemic, trailing behind the record of 3,964 coronavirus patients on Jan. 7.
As of Monday, the latest day for which data are available, the state reported 14.7% of COVID-19 tests were positive. Health officials say the number should be about 5% to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Wake County schools may not resume in-person learning
Wake County Schools Superintendent Cathy Moore has recommended the district not return to in-person instruction until at least February as COVID-19 case numbers continue to climb.
Elementary students were slated to return next week for daily in-person learning while middle and high school students received a mix of in-person and online classes, The News & Observer reported. Citing concerns from the Wake County Division of Principals and Assistant Principals and from school employees, Moore is now recommending all 157,000 students continue with remote learning.
“We’ve said that we’re looking at the data as we move forward,” school board vice chairwoman Lindsay Mahaffey told The N&O. “I’ve got a lot of emails with varying opinions and varying scientific advice.”
The school board is scheduled to vote on the matter Thursday in a specially called meeting.
UNC Chapel Hill reports cluster in dorm
A cluster of coronavirus cases was reported at UNC Chapel Hill on Wednesday among students who stayed on campus over winter break.
North Carolina health officials define a cluster as five or more cases in close proximity. The cases were found through surveillance testing among students living at Carmichael Residence Hall, The News & Observer.
Officials said those students have been identified and are being monitored in isolation at different residence halls.
Charlotte museums opt to close temporarily
Six museums in Charlotte have announced they will temporarily close after Mecklenburg County health officials issued a new directive urging residents to stay home.
Under the directive, Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris said residents should stay home except for essential activities.
The Mint Museum, Levine Museum of the New South, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Discovery Place and McColl Center for Art and Innovation announced Wednesday they would close as a result.
“As we work with county officials to minimize the spread, the safety of visitors and staff is paramount,” Mint Museum president and CEO Todd Herman said in a news release. The Mint Museum will close its uptown and Randolph Road locations through Feb. 2.
Appeals for denied jobless benefits are taking months
The appeals process for people who were denied North Carolina unemployment benefits is taking longer during the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 62,000 unemployment claim appeals have been filed from Apr. 1, 2020, to Jan. 7, 2021, according to the N.C. Division of Employment Security. Of those, over 24,000 appeals haven’t been scheduled.
As officials receive more jobless claims, it takes roughly two to five months for people who file appeals to get notified about their hearings. The time frame was about 20 days before the pandemic, data show.
“Every claim is important, and our team is focused on helping all claimants receive the assistance they are eligible for within the law,” Pryor Gibson, assistant secretary of the N.C. Division of Employment Security, said in a statement. “Throughout the process, claimants are given multiple opportunities to challenge eligibility rulings and present additional information that can overturn an initial decision.”
While federal guidance says decisions on appeals should be made 30 days after filing, data show the wait in North Carolina is longer than the national average.
Mecklenburg reports youngest COVID patient death
Mecklenburg County on Tuesday issued new health guidelines as officials reported the youngest person to die after contracting COVID-19.
Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said the 22-year-old had underlying conditions but didn’t provide more demographic information.
Officials say the coronavirus-related death prompted them to issue a directive mandating businesses, schools and individuals return to virtual operations whenever possible. Across the area, the county’s announcement led education leaders to alter their plans to return to face-to-face learning.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Thursday will have an emergency meeting to weigh the district’s plan to go back to in-person classes.
Hours after the guidelines were revealed, the county in a statement said the directive “does not carry the weight of an executive order or a mandate.”
“I want to clarify this directive involves and includes the best possible public health recommendations that we can make right now based on the urgent need in our community to get this virus under control,” Harris said on Wednesday.
The directive is in place now until Feb. 2, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Chief justice to issue new coronavirus order
Paul Newby, chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, is taking steps to reopen courtrooms that have been closed due to coronavirus concerns.
Newby was sworn in last week and plans to have a new coronavirus-related order go in effect Thursday. The order encourages local officials to communicate with health officials as they decide how they want to have in-person court proceedings, The News & Observer reported.
“I ask that local judicial officials and employees conduct trials and other proceedings and perform other courthouse functions with caution and with due regard for the COVID-19 situation in their respective judicial districts,” a preview of the order said.
The document is also expected to call for former chief justice Cheri Beasley’s previous Dec. 14 order to expire. Her 30-day order had allowed for only essential state court activities due to a rise in coronavirus infections.
Firefighters quarantine after COVID exposure
At least 21 firefighters in Durham are under quarantine after they were potentially exposed to the coronavirus, the fire department said.
Thirty members of the Durham Fire Department’s operations staff have tested positive for the virus since March last year, The News & Observer reported.
NC weighs expanding vaccine eligibility
Gov. Roy Cooper said the state is considering expanding the number of people eligible to be vaccinated in North Carolina after new federal guidelines were announced Tuesday.
Those guidelines include urging states to vaccinate everyone older than 65 and anyone under 65 with underlying health conditions, The News & Observer reported.
“It’s simply much easier to manage allocating vaccines and appointments to everyone 65 and over rather than narrower, more complex categories,” Alex Azar, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, said at a news conference.
Under the current plan, North Carolina is inoculating residents ages 75 and older. But the demand for a vaccine has so far “outstripped supply,” according to The N&O.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said the state’s current vaccine distribution plan was based on recommendations from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
“Getting this kind of advice in the middle of all of this is obviously very challenging,” she said. “But we will take a look at that and incorporate it into our work going forward.”
Scientists behind vaccine honored in hometown
Kizzmekia Corbett is a National Institutes of Health scientist who helped lead the development of the Moderna vaccine. She’s also from Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Corbett was awarded a proclamation from her hometown for her research and her position as a prominent Black scientist, The News & Observer reported. The proclamation declared Jan. 12, 2021, Dr. Kizzmekia “Kizzy” Corbett Day.
“There are so many people in this community cheering you on and proud of you,” Mayor Jenn Weaver said during the proclamation Monday.
Corbett was one of the lead scientists on the Moderna vaccine development and has garnered praise for her work helping the Black community overcome concerns about the vaccine. Leading infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said she was “at the forefront of the development of the vaccine.”
All eyes on education as legislators return
The N.C. General Assembly will have to tackle issues surrounding education during the coronavirus pandemic when legislators return to session.
Groups on both sides of the political spectrum are focused on helping students impacted by the pandemic, many of whom haven’t returned to the classroom since March last year. Education leaders have warned some are failing and many have fallen behind, The News & Observer reported.
The State Board of Education is currently working on its budget proposal, which new Republican Superintendent Catherine Truitt and board members have said should include resources to help students overcome learning challenges.
Teacher pay and bonuses will likely also be on the table again after a lengthy budget battle in 2019.
“I think both sides realize that last year on the budget was not positive,” Gov. Roy Cooper said.
Data show how holidays affected coronavirus numbers in Charlotte
Data released by the Mecklenburg County Public Health Department on Tuesday show how holiday gatherings impacted COVID-19 metrics in the area.
The positivity rate has climbed to between 15% and 16% — up from 12% just before Christmas and 8% before Thanksgiving, the Charlotte Observer reported. An average of 521 people who tested positive for the virus were hospitalized in Mecklenburg County over the last week. That figure was closer to 259 around the same time last month.
Though the testing rate has slowed, data show the seven-day average of new cases is 936.
“At the end of 2020, that number was 571,” the Observer reported. “The volume of infections has surged since late October, when the weekly average of new cases was less than 200.”
Cops tell man to leave Walmart for not wearing a mask, video shows
A man at a Mooresville Walmart was escorted out by police after he refused to wear a mask in the store, video posted on social media shows.
“Because I’m white, she asked me to leave the property,” the man tells two police officers of the Black store manager. “It is because I’m white. What else is it?”
A Walmart spokesperson told the Charlotte Observer the incident occurred on Jan. 1.
“Our mask policy is intended to keep our customers and associates safe as we continue to serve communities across the country,” the spokesperson said. “We are pleased that the vast majority of the 150 million customers who visit us each week are wearing masks since we started requiring them this summer.”
Orange County delays reopening classrooms
The Orange County school board voted Monday night to reopen the district on a Plan B hybrid schedule for K-1 students once certain safety protocols are in place.
It’s unclear how long that will take, but those protocols include a COVID-19 testing program, air purifiers and a lunch plan outside the classroom, The News & Observer reported.
Students in grades 2-12 will stay remote until March, and those in small learning groups, pre-K and exceptional children’s classes will continue in-person and online classes.
“I know we have not landed where everyone hoped we would, and for that I am really sorry,” school board Chair Hillary Mackenzie said, her voice cracking behind her mask. “I know there are kids struggling. I know there are families struggling. These are the things that are keeping us up at night, so I’m just sorry for everyone that this is not ideal for.”
Thousands of Charlotte students opt for remote learning
More than 7,000 students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools chose to attend the fully online academy for the second semester as case numbers in the region continue to rise.
But parents and school officials told The Charlotte Observer it’s about more than health concerns.
Thousands of those who switched to the Virtual Academy for the spring are high school students, data show. Tara Lynn Sullivan, the superintendent of the Central 2 learning community, said part of that decision stems from “a desire for consistency,” the Observer reported.
High school students are also able to take advantage of the independence associated with remote learning, said Glenn Starnes, principal of South Mecklenburg High School.
“You can still play sports, you can still be in National Honors Society, you can still do everything you’d do if you opted for in-person,” Starnes said. “I think once more people knew that was true, that had a great impact.”
Charlotte experiencing limited vaccine supply
An infectious disease doctor in the Charlotte area said limited supply is preventing COVID-19 vaccine distribution from expanding to other age groups.
Dr. David Priest of Novant Health on Tuesday said its vaccine allotments have been consistent, but his hospital system is ready to ramp up efforts if needed. While people age 75 and older are being vaccinated in the Charlotte area, the tight supply means younger adults aren’t yet included in the roll out.
“There will be the same bottleneck in terms of supply,” he said, according to the Charlotte Observer. “We’re glad they feel like they wanna move forward and get other people in the process but until we have more allotment of vaccine, we’ll be scheduling patients, but end up scheduling farther and farther out.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 7:09 AM.
