COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on March 18
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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 889,000
At least 889,310 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 11,757 have died since last March, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,999 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, up from 1,093 the day before.
Thirty-five coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday, bringing the statewide toll above 500 deaths this month. Deaths don’t all occur on the day the state reports them, and the state health department revises its daily figures as information becomes available.
At least 1,002 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Wednesday, down from 1,035 reported the day before. It’s a drastic decline from mid-January, when hospitalizations neared 4,000.
As of Monday, the latest day for which data is available, 5.6% 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 Wednesday. That includes 16.5% of adults in the state.
Cooper optimistic about vaccine eligibility by beginning of May
Gov. Roy Cooper said he was optimistic that every North Carolina adult would be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by the start of May.
The remark comes after President Joe Biden said last week that each state should have the vaccinations available to adult residents by May 1, The News & Observer reported. Weekly vaccine shipments are expected to increase, helping the state reach Biden’s goal, according to Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
On Wednesday, North Carolina transitioned to Group 4 in its vaccine plan, meaning people who live in group settings and those with conditions that put them at higher risk of getting seriously sick from a COVID-19 infection are now eligible to receive shots.
With more vaccine available to more people, Cooper said it’s important to contact people who are worried about getting their doses.
“We’re going to be working extraordinarily hard to convince people that this is important to do,” Cooper said. “We’re going to really be working to try to get a greater percentage of the population vaccinated.”
NC biotech industry hoping to hire laid-off workers
North Carolina’s biotechnology industry hopes to hire some workers who’d been laid off during the coronavirus pandemic.
The sector, which has a strong presence in the Triangle, had a top year as tens of thousands of people in the state lost their jobs, The News & Observer reported Tuesday.
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center used money from the federal CARES Act to start the Bio Jobs Hub, an online resource that helps to recruit people who held jobs in fields hit hard by the pandemic or who had left the military.
“It is a hard thing to go from an industry you know into something where you don’t know anyone,” said Robin Deacle, head of corporate communications at N.C. Biotech. “We want to persuade folks that even if you weren’t good at science and math ... these jobs can still be for you.”
Wake middle, high school students could return to in-person classes
Wake County Superintendent Cathy Moore recommend 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 an appointment at Walgreens, they say just before 7 a.m. is the best time.
People should also be prepared to refresh their browser continually, 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 nonprofit 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.
About 3% of North Carolina’s 46,418 farms were owned by Black people, according to the USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture.
“White farmers were getting their debts written off, or getting loan amortization and rescheduled payments,” Boyd said. “They weren’t offering any of that to Blacks. The USDA hasn’t been friendly to Black farmers.”
Durham, Johnston schools report COVID 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 four classrooms in two schools after people tested positive for the virus.
Students in three 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 News & Observer reported.
Similar precautions are needed for students in a classroom at Club Boulevard Elementary School, officials said.
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 were on 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.
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.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
