COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 13
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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 936,000
At least 936,425 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,305 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,364 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, down from 1,469 the day before.
Fifteen additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Tuesday. 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 1,032 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Tuesday, up from 982 on Monday.
As of Sunday, the latest day for which data is available, 8.3% 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 2.5 million people in North Carolina have been fully vaccinated. That includes almost one-third of the state’s adult population and nearly one-quarter of all North Carolinians, health officials said.
NC rolls out plan to vaccinate farmworkers
State health officials have set up vaccine teams in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties to connect with farmworkers, farmers, contractors and crew leaders about how to get the coronavirus vaccine.
At least half of those teams said they have plans in the works to vaccinate workers, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services told The News & Observer.
The state’s agricultural workforce was hit hard by the pandemic last year. For many workers coming from Mexico as seasonal immigrant workers with H-2A work visas, this will be the only chance they have to vaccinated given vaccine scarcity throughout Mexico and most of Latin America.
“Access to vaccines is at the top of the list of everybody’s efforts right now, because we want to vaccinate the workers as quickly as possible,” said Elizabeth Freeman, the director of the N.C. Farmworker Health Program.
At least 3,784 total doses have been administered to farmworkers, according to DHHS. Vaccine teams said about 98% of farmworkers and growers who were offered a vaccine accepted it.
NC pauses Johnson & Johnson vaccine use
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday said it is temporarily pausing the use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
State health officials made the announcement after federal officials recommended a pause on administering doses of the single-shot vaccine. Several North Carolina providers as of Tuesday said they would stop giving out Johnson & Johnson doses.
In the United States, six women who received the shot developed rare blood clots, including one who died and another who is in critical condition, according to Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they’re calling for the pause “out of an abundance of caution.” The agencies are reviewing the blood clot cases, which the women experienced six to 13 days after receiving their single-dose Johnson & Johnson shots.
More than 6.8 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses had been administered nationwide as of Monday.
In Charlotte, Novant Health and Atrium Health along with Mecklenburg County Public Health said they will temporarily stop using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
There were no Johnson & Johnson vaccine appointments scheduled in the near future at Atrium, and the hospital system said the pause is “out of an abundance of caution.”
Novant, which has administered about 22,500 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, is also unaware of patients experiencing any complications from the vaccine, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Charlotte vaccine clinic to allow walk-ins
A Charlotte provider is opening a COVID-19 vaccine clinic that won’t require appointments.
StarMed said it received extra Pfizer vaccines and will offer shots to walk-ins at the Sheraton airport hotel on Scott Futrell Drive.
The clinic is set to run April 13-14, open until 7 p.m. each day.
Anyone who prefers to make a vaccine appointment can visit www.starmed.care.
Wake will let younger students learn remotely in fall
North Carolina’s largest public school district will let pre-K to third-grade students take remote classes this fall, a change from the district’s original plan to require in-person learning for those students.
Last week, Wake County schools said families with children in all grade levels can sign up for the Virtual Academy program, pending the school board’s approval. The district had at first recommended only giving the remote learning option to students in fourth to 12th grades because that format can be difficult for younger students, The News & Observer reported.
“While a virtual option will be offered for students in grades PreK-3, this is not the ideal learning environment for this age group,” Wake said in its update. “Certainly safety concerns weigh heavily on parents’ minds, but the development of academic, social and emotional learning skills needed for this age group is best taught in person.”
Parents who register for the next Virtual Academy will have to commit for the entire 2021-22 academic year, though that requirement could be waived if vaccinations are expanded for more age groups.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 9:54 AM.
