COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 23
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count surpasses 956,000
At least 956,932 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,523 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,167 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, down from 2,236 the day before.
Eighteen additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Friday. Deaths don’t all occur on the day the state reports them. The state health department revises its daily figures as information becomes available.
State health officials reported 1,145 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Friday, down from 1,165 on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the latest day for which data is available, 5.1% 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 37% of the state’s adult population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, data show.
Mecklenburg has one of NC’s slowest vaccination rates
An analysis of statewide coronavirus data by The Charlotte Observer shows Mecklenburg County has one of the slowest vaccination rates.
Around 22% of people have been fully vaccinated in Mecklenburg, compared to 29% statewide.
Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said she wasn’t surprised by the data, saying she expects the county to catch up or surpass other areas soon.
“We are hoping to continue to move through the summer with vaccinations and making sure that people have access,” Harris said in a news conference this week. “(We’re) doing everything we can to help people understand why it is important to get vaccinated, and the benefits to the themselves, the people they love, the people around and to their entire community.”
How one of NC’s oldest BBQ joints survived COVID
Grady’s Barbecue in Eastern North Carolina is one of the few remaining whole hog smokehouses in North Carolina — and the only one that’s Black owned.
Owners Steve and Gerri Grady, 86 and 76, were at risk during the pandemic, and their restaurant could have permanently closed, The News & Observer reported. But it didn’t.
Mr. Grady had COVID-19 in June and was hospitalized.
“I woke up one morning and felt like I was going to die that day,” Mr. Grady said.
The restaurant was closed until July and reopened in time for its 34th anniversary, according to The N&O. It was only doing takeout for a time, but the dining room eventually reopened to some guests in the fall.
Free round-trip rides to vaccine sites available
United Way of the Greater Triangle is offering free trips to vaccine sites across the state.
The service is called Ride United NC and is for anyone 55 or older, uninsured, unbanked, or members of households considered low income by federal standards, which is 150% of the federal poverty line, The News & Observer reported.
To schedule an appointment, call 1-844-771-RIDE. The phone line is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
More movie theaters announce reopening plans
Charlotte-based Stone Theatres is reopening some locations on Friday.
Dale Coleman, vice president of operations for the company, told The Charlotte Observer
That includes the movie theater in Indian Land, South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, Dale Coleman, vice president of operations for the company, told The Observer
The theater in Indian Trail, North Carolina, will open April 30.
“It’s been a long year,” Coleman said. “But we’ve made it to the point we’re excited to reopen our theaters and welcome our guests back.”
Regal Cinemas is also opening a few of its theaters in North Carolina on Friday.
Vaccines available at Charlotte brewery
Atrium Health is hosting a pop-up vaccine event at NoDa Brewing Company’s North End taproom on Thursday.
The event will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and 200 doses of the vaccine will be available. Guests must be 21 or older to attend and will receive a $5 gift certificate, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris told reporters this week more pop-up events at bars and breweries across Charlotte have also been planned.
Brewers at 4001 Yancey previously hosted a walk-in vaccination pop-up with 150 Pfizer shots through VaxClinic.
Fake vaccine card scams spike
The Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont and Western North Carolina is warning Charlotte residents about a recent rise in COVID-19 vaccination card-based scams.
CEO Tom Bartholomy told The Charlotte Observer he’s received at least seven complaints in the area. One person said someone used a selfie they posted of their vaccine card to reproduce the card for sale
State Attorney General Josh Stein has called on companies such as eBay and Shopify to crack down on the sale of fraudulent vaccine cards.
“The fake vaccine cards that are being sold online represent a real problem, because it will delay the ending of the pandemic, then more people will get sick and die,” Stein said.
NC farmers to get aid for having to quarantine workers
North Carolina is reimbursing farmers who had to pay to quarantine their workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said $2 million is available to aid farmers who hire people with H-2A visas, which let them work in the United States on a temporary basis, The News & Observer reported Thursday.
Employers are required to offer those farm workers a place to stay, and congregate housing became the site of several COVID-19 outbreaks last year. The aid could help farmers who had to put workers in hotels to quarantine while also facing losses in production.
“(Growers) are maxed out,” said Lee Wicker, deputy director of the N.C. Growers Association. “Their housing is full and they don’t have the infrastructure on farms to quarantine someone who has been exposed or tested positive, so this is an important step in trying to mitigate and end the COVID-19 epidemic.”
Farmers can apply for funds until Dec. 15 or when the program runs out of money.
This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 7:34 AM.
