COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on March 22
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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 surpasses 898,000
At least 898,102 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 11,836 have died since last March, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,591 and 1,248 new cases on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
Sixteen additional deaths were reported Monday. 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 970 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Monday, up from 964 on Saturday.
On Friday and Saturday, the latest days for which data is available, 5.7% and 5.8% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. It’s the first time since March 5 that the rate exceeded 5%.
Health officials have said 5% or lower is the target rate to control the spread of the virus.
More than 3.7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in North Carolina, and more than 1.4 million people in the state have been fully vaccinated as of Monday.
Johnston County will bring back in-person classes
The Johnston County school board voted Monday to bring back middle and high school students for daily in-person instruction under Plan A starting April 12.
Under the approved plan, students will have in-person classes four days a week with Wednesday as a designated remote learning day, The News & Observer reported. The Wake County school board also meets Monday to consider a recommendation by the superintendent to move secondary schools to Plan A on April 5.
“This is a step toward normalcy,” said Johnston County Superintendent Eric Bracy. “It’s not normalcy yet.”
COVID case rates fall in Charlotte zip codes
All zip codes in the Charlotte area have less than 400 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents, according to county data based on a 14-day average.
The countywide average fell from 247.3 new cases per 100,000 to 210.6 from March 4 to March 17, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Zip codes encompassing Tryon Hills, Druid Hills, and some streets between uptown and NoDa saw the largest rate drop last week, while the zip codes 28278, 28202 and 28213 saw an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
The 28204 zip code — which includes Cherry and Elizabeth — had the highest concentration of infections in Mecklenburg County last week, according to The Observer.
Johnston County hosting vaccine clinic
The Johnston County Health Department is holding a mass drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinic Wednesday at North Johnston High School.
The 2,000 vaccines will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis to people in groups 1 through 4 starting at 8 a.m. until providers are out of doses. Only the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine will be offered.
Attendees should enter at the back entrance of the high school campus on Watson Road near the athletic fields.
Johnston County has asked those planning to attend the clinic to bring a filled-out pre-vaccination form that can be found online at johnstonnc.com/covid19/files/Prevaccination_Covid_Reg_Form.pdf.
Cases on the rise in the Triangle
Triangle counties saw more COVID-19 cases and higher positivity rates over the past week.
In Wake County, the state health department reported 1,530 new cases of the coronavirus in the past week, up from the 1,109 new cases that were reported during the week before. As of Thursday, an average of 4.7% of tests were positive over a 14-day period, up from 4.5% the week before.
Durham County saw 449 new cases during the past week, up from 306 reported the prior week. An average of 4.6% of tests were positive as of Thursday, up from the 3.5% the week before.
Eighty-three new cases were reported in Orange County the past week. The week before, the county reported no new cases and had five cases removed from its total. An average of 0.7% of tests were positive in Orange last week, slightly higher than the 0.6% of tests the week prior.
Wake and Orange counties had previously seen more than a month of consistently lower case counts each week. Meanwhile, cases in Durham increased for the second week in a row.
Duke relaxes stay-in-place order
Duke University relaxed its stay-in-place order Sunday morning, one week after instituting it following a surge in COVID-19 cases among undergraduate students.
Duke said it recorded 231 positive COVID-19 cases, including 211 among undergraduates, during the week of March 8-14. It tied the spike in cases to fraternities violating protocols by holding in-person rush events.
A letter distributed to students Sunday said the restrictions helped slow the spread of the coronavirus enough to resume in-person classes. Under the orders, students were required to stay in their residence except to get food, exercise or get tested for COVID-19.
Durham VA opens vaccinations to enrolled veterans
Veterans enrolled with the Durham VA Health Care System are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine through the federal program, officials say.
The Durham VA Health Care System covers 27 counties, ranging from Durham to the coast. It has clinics in Raleigh, Greenville and Morehead City. The system has administered more than 39,000 vaccines so far and has vaccinated more than 20,000 veterans, Dr. Genevieve Embree, a VA primary care physician, told The News & Observer.
Anyone eligible for VA health care can enroll to become eligible for a vaccine through its program, Embree said. A veteran must have served 24 continuous months in the armed forces or a full period of active duty to enroll.
To make an appointment, veterans can call the VA at 919-286-0411 and press “0” to speak with an operator.
Trump supporters protest COVID-19 restrictions
More than 100 supporters of former President Donald Trump gathered Saturday in downtown Raleigh to protest the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Some were dressed in Proud Boys clothing. Others waved a flag with the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon logo.
Many who spoke at the event demanded that Gov. Roy Cooper lift the state’s mask mandate.
The state health department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said masks are essential to slowing the spread of COVID-19, which has killed over half a million Americans.
One protester also spoke against the coronavirus vaccines.
The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been shown in clinical tests to have an efficacy rate of more than 90% against the virus.
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 7:45 AM.
