COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Feb. 11
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count tops 810,000
At least 810,466 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 10,294 have died since March, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported 4,568 new COVID-19 cases, up from 3,833 the day before.
At least 113 additional deaths were added to the total Thursday. Deaths don’t occur on the day the state reports them. The state health department revises its daily figures as information becomes available.
At least 2,185 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Thursday, down from 2,292 day before.
As of Tuesday, the latest day for which data are available, 5.9% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say the percentage should be about 5% or lower to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The state reports more than 1.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.
Some are skipping the line for COVID-19 vaccine
Speed and equity are at odds with each other in North Carolina’s vaccine rollout as some clinics dole out doses to individuals who don’t qualify under state health department guidelines, the N.C. Watchdog Reporting Network found.
At least a dozen people under age 65 were vaccinated in Ashe County after staff at AppHealthCare took doses out of the office. A spokesperson initially said the vaccine doses were taken in an effort to prevent leftover doses from being wasted at the end of the day.
But a week later, she told the reporting network the local health department’s investigation determined 40 doses of the vaccine outside of agency protocols and another 13 were administered outside of groups 1 and 2.
In New Hanover County, county commissioners were given the vaccine after a meeting in January. Two UNC Chapel Hill basketball coaches also received it, and Atrium Health in Charlotte scheduled some appointments for non-health care workers.
“Going out of a priority order should be a very unusual circumstance. It should not be the thing that is happening each and every time,” DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said. “But we do not want vaccine wasted, so we recognize that there are some places where we want to just make sure that we get vaccine into arms and are not wasting it.”
Charlotte airport reports drastic drop-off in passenger traffic
Passenger traffic fell by half at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The airport reported 27.2 million passengers last year, a 46% decline from the 50.2 million passengers in 2019, The Charlotte Observer reported. The total number of passengers in 2019 was a record high.
Charlotte Douglas has only reported a decline in passenger traffic three times in the last 20 years, and the last time its numbers were this low was 15 years ago.
“By far, it’s definitely not where we want to be,” Acting Aviation Director and CEO Haley Gentry said in a statement. “But we are faring much better than many of our counterparts who have seen passenger reductions between 60 to 70 percent.”
More students in Durham are failing during the pandemic
Close to half of secondary students in Durham Public Schools failed at least one class during the first three months of the school year when campuses were closed and students were required to take online classes.
Durham Public Schools has been remote since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March.
“About 55.5% of middle school and 42.8% of high school students got an ‘F’ in one class or more during the first quarter,” The News & Observer reported, citing a public information request for the data. “That was up from 31.5% of middle school and 29.7% of high school students during the same period in 2019.”
The data also showed more students receiving failing grades and missing school during the pandemic than they did the previous year.
“The data is concerning,” school board member Natalie Beyer said. “It shows what everyone fears. That students, like everyone, are struggling during this pandemic.”
Wake launches mass vaccination event at PNC
Wake County’s first mass vaccination drive-thru location opened at PNC Arena on Thursday.
The county hosted the event in conjunction with Centennial Authority, WakeMed, Duke Health and UNC REX. Vaccinations are by appointment only, and a second event is planned for Saturday. Organizers plan to vaccinate more than 2,100 people over both days, The News & Observer reported.
Wake County Health Department is able to vaccinate about 1,000 people at PNC, another 800 at existing vaccination sites and up to 100 people with teams sent into neighborhoods, said Dr. Jason Wittes, the county’s pharmacy director.
“It’s pretty remarkable that today we’ll be vaccinating close to 1,900 people in a single day,” he told The N&O. “And it’s a mass vaccination thing, but it’s not a high capacity event, it’s not a thing like that, it’s just normal business here in Wake County.”
Bill that would require in-person classes passes House
The North Carolina House passed a bill that calls for requiring all K-12 public schools in the state to offer in-person learning.
Though the bill passed in the Senate, another vote is needed due to changes the House made. Then, the bill would go to Gov. Roy Cooper, The News & Observer reported Thursday.
The House voted 77-44 for the proposal, which also calls for special-needs students to have a daily face-to-face learning option.
New data show disparities with vaccines
The rate at which Black and Hispanic residents are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine shows a disparity across North Carolina, new data show.
The groups are underrepresented among the people getting vaccinated so far, according to an analysis published Thursday by The Charlotte Observer.
Experts have said some causes could be a lack of transportation, hesitancy about getting vaccines and a potentially higher rate of white people among those now eligible to get doses.
Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday said 18% of people vaccinated in North Carolina last week were Black, an increase from 11% three weeks earlier.
“This is an improvement, but there is more work to be done when North Carolina’s population is 22% Black,” Cooper said. “We’re working to address those inequities. We can start by making sure every community has access to these vaccines.”
Teachers will be eligible for vaccine this month
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that teachers, childcare center employees and school support staff will be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine starting Feb. 24.
Other frontline workers under Group 3 can receive the vaccine on March 10, Cooper said. Frontline workers are everyone who physically has to go to work , including first responders, farm workers, restaurant employees and grocery store workers.
“Essential workers are just that, essential,” Cooper said. “They have worked throughout this pandemic and we know that educators can continue to work safely even before the vaccine is administered, as long as schools follow health guidance.”
Health officials have said the vaccine supply in North Carolina is low. About 1.1 million people statewide have received the first dose of the vaccine, The News & Observer reported, while close to 370,000 people have received both doses.
In Charlotte, Novant Health started working with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to administer the vaccine to teachers who were already eligible — those 65 and older, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Cooper signs COVID relief bill
Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday signed a COVID-19 relief bill with money that goes toward distributing vaccines and reopening schools for in-person classes.
The bill also extends the deadline until May 31 for parents to submit applications for $335 Extra Credit grant checks, The News & Observer reported.
In all, the bill calls for spending $2.24 billion in federal funds.
“This pandemic continues to strain communities across our state, and this investment of federal funds in critical areas will help us defeat COVID-19 and build back a stronger and more resilient North Carolina,” Cooper said in a statement.
UNC wants to better enforce COVID rules
Officials from the town of Chapel Hill and UNC-Chapel Hill met Wednesday to discuss compliance with coronavirus rules after about 1,000 students rushed Franklin Street following the UNC-Duke men’s basketball game on Saturday.
Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said they are discussing options for UNC’s home game against Duke on March 6 and the ACC Tournament, The News & Observer reported. Officials are also drafting an agreement to enforce community standards off campus, including at fraternity and sorority houses.
UNC is currently reviewing about 300 complaints from Saturday night, though Hemminger noted most students will get a warning for a first offense.
Danny Bowen, a UNC senior and student government chief of staff, said students’ actions after the game damages the university’s relationship with the town.
“I think there was a lot of anger among students, like why wouldn’t administrators see this coming, why wouldn’t we be more prepared for this,” Bowen said. “But at the same time, would you put up more physical barriers, increase the messaging? … It’s hard to say what exactly could have prevented the gathering.”
Wake high school students prepare to return
High school students in Wake County will return for in-person instruction next week for the first time since March, but teachers and administrators have warned it won’t look the same.
Under the district’s return plan, PreK-3 and K-12 special education students will have daily in-person instruction. Grades four through 12 will rotate one week of in-person classes with two weeks of online learning, The News & Observer reported. About 52% of the district’s students will have in-person classes while the rest attend the Virtual Academy.
While high school students are on campus, they’ll be required to wear masks and are discouraged from making contact with others.
They won’t be allowed to leave for lunch and will have socially distanced lunch periods where they can’t talk or socialize with classmates, according to The N&O.
Triangle hospitals urge workers to get vaccinated
Hospitals in the Raleigh area are trying to convince health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines as about one-fourth of their employees haven’t gotten shots.
While the state said it doesn’t know how many of the 452,000 eligible medical workers were vaccinated, Triangle hospitals say at least 70% of people working on the front lines have started receiving doses.
As medical centers urge eligible workers to get vaccinated, more people are reaching out to make appointments, The News & Observer reported Wednesday.
“Initially, we did have a lot of hesitancy,” said Amanda Edwards of WakeMed. “People said, ‘Well, I’ll let others go first.’ Now those folks are coming to us saying that they’re ready to receive their vaccination.”
NC restaurant industry asks for new relief
An industry hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic is pushing state leaders to provide new relief.
The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association is asking elected officials for a $300 million stimulus that would go to struggling hotels, bars and restaurants.
“At the close of 2020, we began to look at and analyze the effects of COVID on our industry, and what we found was staggering,” said Lynn Minges, president of the association. “What became clear, our industry suffered significantly in the pandemic and the relief hasn’t been coming.”
Some of the other proposals include waiving Alcoholic Beverage Control permits and exempting personal protective equipment from sales taxes, The News & Observer reported Wednesday.
This story was originally published February 11, 2021 at 7:29 AM.
