COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Feb. 1
Click here for updates for Feb. 2.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count tops 761,000
At least 761,302 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 9,342 have died since March, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday reported 3,776 new COVID-19 cases, down from 4,899 the day before.
Seven deaths were reported Sunday, marking the first time since Nov. 28 that health officials reported fewer than 10 deaths in their daily update.
At least 2,781 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Monday, down from 2,797 reported on Sunday.
As of Saturday, the latest day for which data are available, 9.7% of coronavirus tests were positive. Health officials say the number should be about 5% to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
More than 1 million vaccine doses administered
North Carolina has administered more than one million doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
As of Sunday, The News & Observer reported at least 795,929 first doses and 159,196 second doses have been administered statewide. Every first dose from the federal government has been administered. Including second doses, 81% of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered.
Walgreens and CVS are also administering the vaccine at long-term care facilities through a partnership with the federal government. At least 106,183 doses have been administered in North Carolina through that partnership as of Sunday.
About 56% of first doses allocated for long-term care facilities have been administered. Including second doses, about 36% have been administered.
More NC parents could get $335 grants
Parents who missed their chance at $335 checks for remote learning could get a second shot under a proposed bill filed Monday in the state Senate.
The bill would also expand rural broadband internet and provide personal protective equipment for schools. Senate Bill 36 would extend the application deadline for Extra Credit grants to May 31, The News & Observer reported.
Sen. Brent Jackson, a Sampson County Republican and chair of the Senate appropriations committee, is a lead sponsor of the bill. He previously told the N&O extending the application deadline would be one of the first priorities. The first deadline to apply was in October and was later extended to December. But there were still parents who didn’t apply.
“It’s only fair to give them the opportunity to apply for it,” Jackson told The N&O last month.
Weight-loss center invites clients for COVID vaccine
Structure House, which TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz once described as “one of the top weight loss centers in the country,” was allocated 40 doses of the coronavirus vaccine by the Durham County Department of Public Health.
Health officials qualified Structure House on Pickett Road in Durham as a congregate living facility, The News & Observer reported.
The residential weight loss facility sent an email to alumni offering 40 vaccinations for people paying thousands of dollars for a month-long stay. It was sent the same day Durham County stopped making appointments for COVID-19 shots, citing a short supply.
Health Department spokesperson Alecia Smith confirmed Structure House is a residential treatment facility under the state’s Group 1 prioritization of long-term care facilities.
“I explained what Structure House was, and they approved it,” Katie Rickel, chief executive officer at Structure House, told The N&O.
Johnston students return to in-person classes
Duke using control hub to help plan for patients
To help manage hospital patients during the pandemic, Duke Health is using a screen-filled room that looks similar to an air traffic control center.
“It’s four big computer screens in the front and individual desks with folks with their own computers, each doing discreet tasks to make sure that we’re landing the planes, or the patients, on time,” said Mary Martin, Duke University Hospital’s chief operating officer, The News & Observer reported.
The CARE (Capacity Access Real-time Engagement) Hub is constantly tracking hospital bed availability as the coronavirus continues its spread. Martin said it has helped the hospital to determine when it needs to delay surgeries or make room for transfers from the emergency room.
Tillis to be among GOP senators proposing relief plan
A North Carolina senator in a letter released Sunday joined nine other GOP lawmakers calling for a compromise from President Joe Biden for COVID-19 relief funds.
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and other Republican Senators on Monday are expected to reveal an alternate proposal to the president’s coronavirus relief plan, which totals $1.9 trillion, The News & Observer reported.
Senators, who also asked to meet with Biden about their plan, said they think it will receive support from both political parties.
“I hope President Biden and Congressional Democrats will review this proposal and work with us instead of ramming through a partisan relief package without Republican support,” Tillis said in a news release.
Experts weigh in on double masking
Many people are now wearing two face masks as new, more easily transmissible coronavirus variants are showing up in the U.S.
Health officials on Thursday reported North Carolina’s second case of a new coronavirus strain that was first identified in the United Kingdom. The case was in Guilford County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t taken a stance on double masking but recommends that people wear cloth masks made of at least two layers that fit snugly over the mouth and nose.
Experts at the state health department told The News & Observer in an email that there is a scenario when double masking makes sense.
“While the efficacy of wearing two masks compared to one is currently unknown, it is recommended that masks have two or more layers, which can be achieved by doubling masks,” the state health department said. “If you do choose to double mask, make sure the masks cover your mouth and nose and that you can breathe comfortably through them.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told the “Today” show last week that wearing two masks “just makes common sense,” as it “likely would be more effective” in stopping transmission of the virus.
He said Wednesday the most important thing, however, is that people are wearing masks in the first place.
Wake, Durham counties to receive more vaccines
The Wake County health department will receive 3,900 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week — four times the amount it received last week.
Wake County had previously been allocated 975 first doses of the vaccine.
Johnna Sharpe, chief operating officer for Wake County, told The N&O on Saturday that the increase is consistent with the state’s new guidelines that take population into greater account when distributing the vaccine. Wake County is the largest in the state by population.
Durham County will receive 1,300 doses of the vaccine this week.
The county’s health department said last week it would temporarily stop making appointments for vaccinations because of limited supply.
A mass vaccination event was held over the weekend at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It was expected to vaccinate 19,000 people. There will be follow-up events to give people their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines from Feb. 12 through Feb. 14 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28 at Bank of America Stadium.
Novant Health has plans for two mass vaccination sites in Charlotte, but the hospital system says it needs more vaccines from the state before it can move forward.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 6:57 AM.
