COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 14
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count tops 938,000
At least 938,784 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,325 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,359 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, up from 1,364 the day before.
Twenty additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday. 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 1,045 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Wednesday, an increase from 1,032 on Tuesday.
As of Monday, the latest day for which data is available, 7.6% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials have said 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
State epidemiologist Dr. Zack Moore told The News & Observer the increases are worrisome.
“No one of our measures tells the whole story by itself, but when you look at it in context of what we’re seeing with our case rates and what we’re seeing elsewhere in the country,” Moore said, “it definitely is a cause for concern.”
More than 2.6 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.
More students choose in-person learning in Charlotte
About 1,500 more students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have chosen to return to in-person learning for the remainder of the school year after the board voted last month to reopen schools.
A total of roughly 61,000 students were still learning remotely as of Monday, compared to 62,500 in February, The Charlotte Observer reported.
All students had the option to return to the classroom four days a week starting Monday. The school board approved that option on March 23.
Some schools aim to have flexible schedules due to COVID learning loss
The coronavirus pandemic is prompting some school districts to seek an early start to next academic year.
But legislation that proposes a return to classes before the date that’s required by law could have a hard time passing due to concerns about the shortened break’s potential impact on tourism.
Sixteen of the bills call for flexible dates in individual districts, while House Bill 376 would push the statewide school start date to the closest Monday to Aug. 19. Currently, schools can’t start earlier than the closest Monday to Aug. 26, though COVID-19 led to an exemption for this academic year.
On Tuesday, the N.C. House Education Committee backed the bills that call for school calendar flexibility.
“School officials say having more control will help students, because schools will be able to more quickly start next school year to address COVID-19 learning loss,” The News & Observer reported.
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 farm workers, 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 could be the only chance they have to get 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 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agencies said they’re calling for the pause “out of an abundance of caution.” They 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.
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.
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 7:52 AM.
