COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Feb. 2
Click here for updates for Feb. 3.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count tops 764,000
At least 764,228 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 9,409 have died since March, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported 2,926 new COVID-19 cases, down from 3,776 the day before. Tuesday was the first time since Dec. 27 that the single-day total was lower than 3,000.
Sixty-seven deaths were reported Tuesday.
At least 2,741 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Tuesday, down from 2,786 reported on Monday. The number of hospitalizations has been dropping steadily since mid-January.
As of Sunday, the latest day for which data are available, 10.2% of coronavirus tests were positive. Health officials say the number should be about 5% to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Data show racial disparities in who gets vaccines in Charlotte
More than two-thirds of people in Mecklenburg County who have received the coronavirus vaccine are white, according to data released Tuesday.
Black people make up 32% of the population in Mecklenburg, but just 16% of people who received the first dose from the health department are Black. By contrast, 69% of people who received a first dose were white. White people comprise about 54% of the county population, The Charlotte Observer reported.
A ZIP code map also shows people living in affluent neighborhoods are receiving the vaccine at at a higher rate than others.
“You literally have a tale of two cities,” the Rev. Willie Keaton, chairman of social justice advocacy group Restorative Justice CLT, told the Observer. “You have a deeply segregated city, of rich and poor.”
Famed Raleigh restaurant owner dies from COVID-19
Edward “Big Ed” Watkins died Tuesday morning from COVID-19-related pneumonia at age 88, his wife told The News & Observer. Watkins was the owner of Big Ed’s Restaurant in downtown Raleigh.
He contracted the coronavirus at a rehabilitation facility where he was recovering from a car wreck.
His wife Lynda Watkins said he tested positive for the virus about two weeks ago but said his health had largely improved before he went into cardiac arrest Tuesday.
“They wouldn’t let anyone go to him, because of the COVID,” she said. “That’s what hurts so much.”
Wake parents want to return to in-person classes
The majority of parents in Wake County want to return to in-person instruction as soon as possible, according to a new survey.
Of the more than 33,000 parents surveyed online, most showed support for daily or limited in-person classes, while a large majority voted against delaying in-person classes until COVID-19 metrics in the area improve, The News & Observer reported.
A separate survey of about 10,000 employees showed they were concerned about safety if in-person instruction returns.
School administrators are expected to present a plan Friday for resuming in-person learning, and the school board could vote on the plan as soon as next week.
Cooper urges schools to reopen
Gov. Roy Cooper is “strongly urging” public school districts in North Carolina to reopen with in-person instruction.
“Students should still have the option of remote learning this school if that is best for them,” Cooper said. “And teachers who are at risk should be providing that remote instruction. But students who are ready to return to the classrooms should have that chance.”
His comments come after the superintendent of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction told lawmakers early Tuesday that she and Cooper will “sing from the same songbook.”
Catherine Truitt, a Republican who was elected in November, made the announcement regarding reopening public schools in during their Council of State meeting on Tuesday.
“This is incredibly important for kids,” she said.
Outbreak at Charlotte homeless shelter
At least 87 coronavirus cases have been linked to a men’s shelter in Charlotte.
Roof Above, which already had been taking precautions to protect against the virus, saw its outbreak grow from five to dozens of cases in a few days span, The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday.
“Preventing COVID is about not being around anybody,” said Randall Hitt, the shelter’s chief engagement officer. “So you’re taking a place that you’re just naturally around people and trying to put up all the right protocols.”
The North Tryon Street shelter is the third in the area to experience a recent outbreak and has moved about 200 men to hotel rooms, according to Hitt.
Meanwhile, Mecklenburg County reported an “overflow” at its hotel designated to give people quarantine space.
Hospitalizations slow in Charlotte area
Hospitalizations related to the coronavirus are expected to continue trending downward in the Charlotte area, even as the hospital count remains high compared to a milder peak in July.
The weekly average of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County has dropped 14% compared to a month prior, the Charlotte Observer reported.
“We have treated and sent home approximately 10,500 patients during the course of the pandemic, which is just an incredible number,” said Dr. David Priest, Novant Health infectious diseases specialist.
More than 1 million vaccine doses administered
North Carolina has administered more than 1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
As of Sunday, 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 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.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 6:57 AM.
