Wake, Durham and Orange counties see drops in new COVID cases, percent positives
In a week that saw North Carolina’s fewest hospitalizations from COVID-19 since November, signs of relief continue around the Triangle — as Wake, Durham and Orange counties all report fewer new cases and positive tests than the week before.
After a painful January that saw the two deadliest days of the pandemic so far, February has come with significant milestones for the state — including surpassing 1 million vaccines administered, and streaks of lower case numbers and hospitalizations.
The coronavirus vaccine, which requires two doses to reach full effectiveness, will be available to teachers at the end of the month, as the state begins its vaccination of Group 3. Currently, only health care workers, people aged 65 or older, and those who live or work in long-term care facilities are eligible for the vaccine.
Here’s how Wake, Durham, and Orange counties are doing at the end of the week.
New cases, vaccinations in Wake
In Wake County, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,340 new cases in the past week — over 1,000 fewer than the 3,765 new cases added the week before. The county has seen a total of 71,233 cases and 512 deaths since the pandemic began, according to DHHS data.
As of Friday, an average of 6.7% of tests over the past 14 days were returning positive. That’s higher than the state’s 5% target, but lower than the 7.7% average returning positive last week.
The state reported 144,579 vaccines had been administered in Wake as of Friday. Of those, 107,155 were first doses — an increase of 20,451 from the week before. Second doses saw an increase of 16,314 vaccines administered in the past week, bringing the total to 37,424.
At a press conference in Raleigh on Friday, the Wake County school system said it was working to determine the best way to roll out the vaccine to its more than 10,000 educators later this month, The News & Observer reported.
“It’s going to have to move very quickly in order to make sure that on the very first day, as many educators as possible can get in and get access to that vaccine,” said Wake Superintendent Cathy Moore.
The news comes as Wake schools prepare to reopen in the coming week — a move that will put the county’s high school students back in in-person classes for the first time since the pandemic began in March.
Also in the past week, the county launched a new mass vaccination site at PNC Arena in Raleigh. At the new site, the county health department said it can vaccinate about 1,000 people each day.
New cases, vaccinations in Durham
In Durham, DHHS reported 598 new cases of the virus in the past seven days. That’s fewer than the 744 new cases reported in the seven day period before.
Since March, Durham has seen a total of 20,698 cases of the virus. In that time, 190 people have died.
The percent of tests returning positive averaged 6.5% over the past 14 days in the county. That’s a full percentage point lower than the 7.5% returning positive the week before.
As of Friday, 57,841 people had been vaccinated by the county. Of those, 40,313 were first doses, and 17,528 were second doses. That’s an increase of 5,714 first and 5,670 second doses.
And a year after schools shifted learning online, The N&O reported Thursday that nearly half of Durham Public Schools secondary students failed at least one class in the first quarter of the school year.
Roughly 55.5% of middle school and 42.8% of high school students got an “F” in one class or more, according to school district data.
New cases, vaccinations in Orange
Orange County saw 254 new cases in the past seven days, according to DHHS data. That’s fewer than the 367 new cases DHHS reported in the county the week prior.
With these new cases, the county’s running total grew to 7,381.
The county’s 14-day average percent positive dropped to 1.4%, according to DHHS data from Friday. That’s down from the 2% figure reported the week before.
As of Friday, 33,471 vaccines had been administered in the county. Of those, 22,607 were first doses, and 10,864 were second doses — increases of 2,414 and 3,773 respectively.
In Chapel Hill, UNC and town officials met Wednesday to discuss how to move forward after roughly 1,000 students rushed out to the streets in celebration of a victory over Duke men’s basketball last weekend.
University officials said they will be investigating reports of student activity, and those found in violation of COVID-19 safety protocols could lose housing or face other disciplinary measures.