COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 9
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count reaches 929,000
At least 929,406 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,248 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,509 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, up from 2,087 the day before.
Twelve 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 977 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Friday, down from 1,010 on Thursday.
As of Wednesday, the latest day for which data is available, 4.6% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials have said 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
More than 2.3 million people in North Carolina have been fully vaccinated. That includes more than one-quarter of the state’s adult population and one-fifth of all North Carolinians, health officials said.
Charlotte area COVID metrics going up at slow pace
Many COVID-19 metrics in the Charlotte area are going up or staying steady.
But Gibbie Harris, public health director for Mecklenburg County, thinks the region can avoid another spike in coronavirus infections if people get vaccinated and follow guidelines to help slow the spread of the infectious disease, The Charlotte Observer reported Friday.
“Our numbers are increasing, but they’re increasing at a very slow pace...” Harris told reporters. “We have the potential of keeping this rather flat. But it’s up to all of us to make that happen.”
Mecklenburg has about 270 new daily coronavirus cases, compared to 200 a week ago, according to seven-day moving averages. The percentage of positive tests continues to be about 6.8%, data show.
Most Duke Raleigh Hospital outbreak infections were among staff
Thirty-one people were infected in a COVID-19 outbreak at Duke Raleigh Hospital last month.
The Duke University Health System said it tracked down people who may have been exposed to the virus and determined most of the people who tested positive were on its staff, The News & Observer reported Friday.
“The incident serves as a reminder that COVID-19 remains a public health concern, and everyone should remain vigilant with continued mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing,” Leigh Bleecker, interim president for the hospital, wrote in a statement. “Everyone is now eligible for vaccination, and we encourage all to get vaccinated at their first opportunity.”
The outbreak started in a patient unit on the hospital’s fifth floor, which has undergone a “deep clean.” While Bleecker said people could have contracted the virus outside of the facility, “we have counted them as part of the hospital incident until further review.”
Charlotte provider to close mass testing sites
Novant Health, a hospital system in the Charlotte area, is shutting down mass COVID-19 testing sites as of Friday.
The centers in Charlotte and Winston-Salem are closing as the health care provider said it has been seeing lower demand.
Novant Health is still providing tests at its pediatric and primary care offices,The Charlotte Observer reported.
One-fifth of NC adults don’t plan to get COVID vaccine
About one-fifth of North Carolina adults don’t intend to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, a new poll finds.
But residents are increasingly likely to get vaccinated against the disease, results from the Elon Poll show. In the most recent poll, 38% of respondents had received their shots and 25% planned to get vaccinated — up 30 percentage points from October.
“Typically when we ask people behavioral intention items or public opinion items, it takes decades to see the type of change that we’ve seen in six months in North Carolina,” said Jason Husser, director of the Elon Poll.
Husser said 20% of people who are against taking the vaccine and others who lean toward not getting it could prevent North Carolina from giving doses to 80% of residents, the percentage some have said will allow the state to reach herd immunity.
Wake vaccine site halts use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine
More than a dozen “adverse reactions” were reported at a Wake County clinic on Thursday, prompting officials to pause use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Investigators “did not find any safety issues or reason for concern, and the CDC recommends continuing to administer the vaccine,” the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday.
Of the more than 2,300 Johnson & Johnson doses administered Thursday, 18 people who received their shots at the PNC Arena clinic in Raleigh had reactions “consistent with known common side effects from receiving the vaccine.” Four people went to local hospitals, while the others received treatment on site.
Wake County Public Health stopped administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the site “out of an abundance of caution,” a spokesperson said.
Later Thursday, UNC Health temporarily halted the vaccine’s use at the Friday Center and Hillsborough Campus. The hospital system plans to administer Johnson & Johnson doses again starting Saturday.
“We’re confident in the safety and efficacy of the J&J vaccine,” spokesman Alan Wolf told The News & Observer.
List of Charlotte vaccine sites grows
Camp North End has been added to a list of COVID-19 vaccine sites in the Charlotte area.
The area outside of uptown will be home to a vaccination clinic on April 17, according to Mecklenburg County Medical Director Dr. Meg Sullivan. Booking wasn’t open as of Thursday afternoon.
Also on Thursday, Atrium Health said it was opening new appointment slots available at www.thisismyshot.com. The hospital system has participated in mass vaccination events at Bank of America Stadium, home to the Carolina Panthers.
Concerns surround health care workers’ vaccine hesitancy
Thousands of people who work in North Carolina’s health care industry have turned down COVID-19 vaccines.
The NC Watchdog Reporting Network conducted an informal survey that found 40% to 75% of hospital staff have gotten vaccinated against the virus.
Those figures mirror the national trends, as polls have found about half of front-line health care employees received their first vaccine doses.
The hesitancy among people working in the industry makes some worried that the reluctance could deal a blow to herd immunity, according to the reporting network.
State fairgrounds to host biggest indoor show since start of pandemic
The N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh is set to hold its largest indoor event in more than a year.
The Southern Ideal Home Show is set to run Friday to Sunday as the fairgrounds have increasingly hosted events amid relaxed coronavirus-related restrictions.
Since COVID-19 started to upend the fairgrounds’ schedule in February 2020, the venue is down $9.2 million in revenue. The State Fair, which was among the events canceled last year, is expected to happen in 2021, according to N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.
Charlotte area reports no recent nursing home resident deaths
No Charlotte-area nursing home residents have died after contracting the coronavirus in the past month, officials said.
Though no coronavirus-related deaths were reported at nursing homes, about two dozen people lost their lives in the community during that same time period, data show.
Earlier in the pandemic, deadly coronavirus outbreaks were reported in nursing homes across the state. Residents of those facilities were among one of the first groups eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines in North Carolina.
“This is really strong and encouraging news and further evidence of how highly effective the vaccines are at preventing severe complications, infections and death,” said Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg deputy public health director.
Schools could require COVID tests for proms, graduations
High school students in North Carolina could be required to be tested for COVID-19 before attending graduations and proms.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and N.C. Department of Public Instruction are encouraging schools to use free rapid tests to screen anyone who is going to the spring events. Testing decisions would be made at the local level, The News & Observer reported.
The guidance, which is set to be shared Thursday at a State Board of Education meeting, was released “understanding the milestones that special events and high school graduations represent in the lives of our students and families.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2021 at 7:47 AM.
