COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on March 16
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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 887,000
At least 887,311 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 11,722 have died since last March, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,093 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, down from 1,337 the day before.
Thirteen coronavirus-related deaths were reported Tuesday. Deaths don’t all occur on the day the state reports them. The state health department revises its daily figures as information becomes available.
At least 1,021 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Tuesday, up from 988 reported the day before. It’s a drastic decline from mid-January, when hospitalizations neared 4,000.
As of Sunday, the latest day for which data is available, 6.7% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials have said 5% or lower is the target rate to control the spread of the virus.
More than 3.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in North Carolina, and more than 1.3 million people in the state have been fully vaccinated as of Monday.
Wake middle, high school students could return to in-person classes
Wake County Superintendent Cathy Moore plans to recommend on Tuesday that the school district switch from a hybrid model to daily in-person classes for all students not in the Virtual Academy.
That means middle and high school students could start daily in-person learning in April, more than a year after they implemented remote instruction, The News & Observer reported. The schools are currently under a hybrid model which is a combination of remote and in-person instruction.
Under Moore’s recommendation, modified-calendar schools and early colleges would switch to Plan A on April 5. Traditional-calendar secondary schools would switch April 8, and year-round calendar middle schools would switch April 14.
The school board could vote on the proposal next week.
Tips for getting a vaccine in Mecklenburg County
As eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine in North Carolina continues to widen, the process of signing up for an appointment becomes more daunting.
So-called vaccine hunters suggest getting on the computer at 11:58 p.m. to start refreshing your device for an appointment, the Charlotte Observer reported. To schedule one at Walgreens, they say just before 7 a.m. is the best time.
People should also be prepared to refresh their browser constantly and potentially drive farther away to find an available appointment time.
Mecklenburg County Health said it’s adding vaccine slots starting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday as eligibility extends to people with underlying medical conditions. The appointments will be at Bojangles Coliseum and are open to Groups 1, 2 and 3, and certain members of Group 4.
COVID relief bill offers aid to minority farmers
The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill President Joe Biden signed into law last week includes $5 billion for socially disadvantaged farmers of color.
That money will go in-part to the forgiveness of outstanding debt and for training, outreach, education, technical assistance and grants, The News & Observer reported.
“It’s a significant piece of legislation that’s going to help thousands of farmers get relief,” said John Boyd Jr., founder and president of the non-profit National Black Farmers Association.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has admitted to systematically denying farmers of color access to the same financial programs that would help them keep their land and expand operations, according to The N&O.
In North Carolina, about 3% of the state’s 46,418 farms were Black owned in the USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture.
“White farmers were getting their debts written off, or getting loan amortization and rescheduled payments,” said Boyd. “They weren’t offering any of that to Blacks. The USDA hasn’t been friendly to Black farmers.”
Durham, Johnston schools report cases
Some students in Durham and Johnston County schools are transitioning to remote learning after positive COVID-19 cases were reported.
Durham Public Schools is closing three classrooms after two students were diagnosed with the virus.
Students in the Southwest Elementary School classrooms and those who took bus 185 after school Monday will have to stay home for 10 days and learn remotely.
The school district said it’s teaming with health officials to contact people who may have been near the students.
Monday marked the first time the district’s elementary students came back to campus since March 2020.
In Johnston County, at least 83 students and three staff members at Cleveland Elementary are quarantining after a COVID-19 outbreak.
The active cluster was reported Monday at the school by the Johnston County Health Department, according to The News & Observer. The school system didn’t say how many people have tested positive at the school.
The affected classroom moved to online learning after the first confirmed case, a district spokesperson said. In-person instruction has continued at the rest of the school.
Wake to hold modified prom, graduation
Wake County schools will host modified proms and graduation ceremonies for high school students, saying in an update Monday the current pandemic guidance prevents them from having the events at large venues like the Raleigh Convention Center.
Instead, school officials said Wake County high schools will hold graduation on campus, typically at each school’s stadium, and will cap attendance at 30% capacity for guests, The News & Observer reported.
Individual high schools will establish the dates, times, logistics and instructions to be shared with families no later than April 9.
In lieu of prom, each high school will host an event “to safely celebrate graduating seniors” with details to come in the next few weeks.
Duke fraternities disaffiliated to host rush
Nine fraternities at Duke disaffiliated with the university to allow for rush events after the school opted to push recruitment to the fall, leading to an outbreak of COVID-19 cases on campus.
The decision by the fraternities wasn’t the only cause of the coronavirus cases, The News & Observer reported, but “rush events are one of the most obvious differences between now and the fall semester, when Duke received national recognition for keeping COVID-19 cases under control.”
The campus is now on a temporary lockdown with students taking classes online and confined to their dorm rooms and apartments.
More than 180 students have tested positive for the virus in one week, with an additional 200 in quarantine.
“We haven’t been able to pinpoint a night, an event or a fraternity and say these people are responsible for the outbreak,” Durham Interfraternity Council President Will Santee said Monday. “It’s never that concrete.”
Duke Vice President of Public Affairs Mike Schoenfeld told The N&O the number of cases can’t be attributed to one big party, but that the university’s targeted testing program and contact tracing efforts pointed to a number of rush events as the source of positive tests.
“It was entirely avoidable,” Schoenfeld said. “The guidance and the commitment that everybody at Duke made was to avoid unmasked gatherings and avoid any type of gatherings per the public health advice.”
Some elementary schools resume in-person classes
Some elementary school students in Wake and Durham counties returned for daily in-person learning on Monday for the first time in a year.
Fourth and fifth graders in Wake County started in-person instruction on Monday, and Durham students are moving from all-remote learning to four days a week of in-person learning, The News & Observer reported.
The students get their temperature checked daily, must wear face masks and are encouraged to remain socially distanced from their peers and teachers.
“I think, all in all, just having them back in the building, even if it’s different, having them back in the building is going to be a positive experience for them,” Lisa Brown, principal of Green Elementary School in Raleigh, The N&O. “And I think they’re going to salvage a really good experience out of school for this school year.”
COVID case rates falling around Charlotte
Every ZIP code in Mecklenburg County has seen a decrease in coronavirus case rates recently — and many are experiencing the lowest rates since December.
The most recent data show all 29 ZIP codes in Charlotte have fewer than 500 new cases per 100,000 residents, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Countywide, the 14-day average has fallen from 328.7 to 247.3 new cases per 100,000 residents.
The ZIP codes encompassing Tryon Hills, Druid Hills and some streets between uptown and NoDa had the highest concentration of cases for the second week in a row, according to the Observer. The 28226 ZIP code, which includes areas along Sharon View Road and parts of Carmel and Wessex Square, had the lowest.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 7:47 AM.
