COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 2
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count tops 916,000
At least 916,159 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,136 have died since last March, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,027 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, up from 1,929 the day before. It’s the fifth day in a row that the average has hovered above 1,800.
Twenty-five additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Thursday. 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 985 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Thursday, an increase from 957 on Wednesday.
As of Tuesday, the latest day for which data are available, 4.4% 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 1.9 million people in the state have been fully vaccinated.
N.C. DHHS did not update its coronavirus dashboard on Friday due to the state holiday. The next update will be Monday.
NC reports no ‘red’ counties for first time
For the first time since North Carolina introduced its COVID-19 county alert system, no counties in the state were red.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services uses a color-coded system to indicate the severity of spread in each county, with red indicating critical spread, orange as substantial spread and yellow as significant spread.
The state has since introduced two new classifications: light yellow as moderate impact and green as low.
Alleghany is the only green county, and there are 31 yellow counties. Wake, Durham and Orange counties are all yellow, according to The N&O.
Parents can still apply for $335 COVID relief check
Parents who haven’t received a $335 COVID-19 relief check from the government to offset the cost of remote learning have until May 31 to apply.
The checks are part of the 2020 CARES Act coronavirus relief packages, but some families didn’t automatically receive them, The News & Observer reported. Many of them are low-income families, who now have to fill out an application for it.
Anyone who lived in North Carolina with a child under the age of 16 in 2019 is eligible. Go to ncdor.gov/extracredit to apply.
Whistleblower raises hygiene concerns at vaccine plant
A 2018 whistleblower complaint alleging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration improperly downgraded hygiene concerns at Merck’s Durham facility resurfaced this week.
The plant is slated to receive $105.4 million from the federal government for the production of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, The News & Observer reported.
The whistleblower, a former FDA safety officer, wrote that he had serious concerns after touring the plant in 2018 but said the FDA “did absolutely nothing” in response. The Office of Special Counsel, a federal investigative agency, wrote a letter to the White House about the complaint this week.
“I am troubled by many aspects of this matter,” Special Counsel Henry Kerner wrote in the letter dated March 31.
Merck told The N&O in a statement Thursday that “any suggestions” that the company doesn’t follow regulations and keep safety in mind “are patently and demonstrably false.”
“Merck’s highest priorities are the health and safety of patients and our employees and the quality of our medicines and vaccines,” the company added. “We produce our medicines and vaccines to the highest standards, in full compliance with regulations and good manufacturing practices.”
Renters need more than eviction moratorium, advocates say
Housing advocates say rental assistance is still needed after the Biden administration extended the federal eviction moratorium until the end of June.
Jesse McCoy, supervising attorney at the Duke Civil Justice Clinic, told The News & Observer the extension only delays rent deadlines.
“Simply extending moratoria without dealing with the financial aspect that supports keeping people housed ends up just kicking the can down further into the year,” McCoy said.
At least 300,000 households in North Carolina were behind on rent as of September, the most recent data available, The N&O reported.
Gov. Roy Cooper previously allocated $175 million in federal funding for rental assistance. But demand was such that the program ran out of money quickly. While another $546.5 million in rental aid was approved for North Carolina in December, the General Assembly has imposed a maximum amount of money each county could receive.
Advocates say that will significantly slow down aid disbursement.
No COVID test needed to travel if you’ve been vaccinated, CDC says
The CDC on Friday said people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 don’t have to get tested before or after a trip, nor do they need to self-quarantine when they return home.
The new guidance “now states that fully vaccinated people can resume travel at low risk to themselves,” according to a CDC statement.
Under the new guidelines, fully vaccinated Americans can also travel internationally without being tested — unless their overseas destination requires it. Anyone returning from an overseas trip also does not need to self-quarantine “unless required by a state or local jurisdiction,” the CDC said.
But those travelers should get a negative COVID-19 test before flying home.
Legislature approves summer school plan
The General Assembly unanimously approved legislation Thursday requiring school districts to create a summer school program for students who fell behind during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the Summer Learning Choice for NC Families bill, districts will have to offer at least 150 hours or 30 days of in-person instruction along with activities like sports, music and arts, The News & Observer reported. Attendance will be voluntary and is open to any student.
“It provides an opportunity to get summer school for some of these children who need it badly,” House Speaker Tim Moore, a primary sponsor of the bill, said at a Senate committee meeting this week. “Teachers who want to do this will be paid more to do so, so they’re not compelled to.”
The bill will go to Gov. Roy Cooper next. According to The N&O, a veto is unlikely.
Experts warn of holiday surge in Charlotte
While coronavirus-related deaths in Mecklenburg County fell by more than 50% between March and February, health officials say another surge in cases could be here by late April.
There were 44 deaths in March, tying last May for the lowest monthly total since the pandemic started, The Charlotte Observer reported. But experts say gatherings for spring holidays like Easter might contribute to an uptick in infections.
Though it shouldn’t be as bad as the post-Christmas peak, according to the Observer.
”If we’re lucky, we’ll continue to see this subside and peter out (in) a small wave,” said Michael Thompson, associate chair of the Public Health Sciences Department at UNC Charlotte. “The real proof is what will happen if there’s an Easter surge.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 6:36 AM.
