COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on April 30
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count reaches 969,000
At least 969,752 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 12,651 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,231 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, up from 1,985 the day before.
Twenty 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.
Health officials reported 1,101 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Friday, down from 1,137 reported on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the latest day for which data is available, 4.8% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials have said 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Nearly half of adults in North Carolina, or 49.2%, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. At least 40.5% are now fully vaccinated.
Across the nation, about 38% of adults are fully vaccinated. That includes more than 100 million people, federal officials said Friday.
Some NC high school athletes won’t have to wear masks outside
Under Gov. Roy Cooper’s new executive that goes into effect Friday, high school athletes don’t have to wear masks while playing outdoors.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association and the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association — the two largest governing bodies for state high school athletics — as well as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Wake County Schools will follow those guidelines, The Charlotte Observer reported.
NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker said players on the bench also won’t have to wear masks but urged them to still practice social distancing.
“I don’t have to wear the mask while I’m out there playing,” Tucker said. “When I come (out), I should try to maintain social distancing. My teammates should do the same thing while they’re waiting.”
It will be up to individual school districts if fans will still be required to wear masks.
White neighborhoods vaccinated at higher rate in Charlotte area
Some Charlotte area ZIP codes where residents are predominately white have higher COVID-19 vaccination rates than other parts of Mecklenburg County.
“Marginalized communities in Mecklenburg’s crescent have some of the lowest rates of vaccinations, while those in the wedge — a collection of affluent neighborhoods in south Charlotte — have some of the highest,” The Charlotte Observer reported Friday.
The lowest vaccination rates are also in some of the areas where COVID-19 hit the hardest, officials said.
“It just reinforces that fact that we’ve got certain populations that are underrepresented in the vaccines that have been given up to this date,” said Gibbie Harris, public health director for Mecklenburg County. “We need to continue to focus on that and making sure that we’re making those vaccines available in those areas.”
Throughout the county, the vaccination rate was 43%, data show.
Eased coronavirus restrictions start Friday
Gov. Roy Cooper’s new executive order further easing COVID-19 restrictions in the state goes into effect Friday.
Under the order, North Carolinians don’t have to wear masks outdoors and the number of people allowed to gather will double to 100 people indoors and 200 outdoors, The News & Observer reported.
“We’re grateful that North Carolina continues to hold steady when it comes to our COVID-19 metrics. But while our numbers remain stable, we’re not seeing the decline in metrics that we’d like to see,” Cooper said. “This tells us that the pandemic is not over.”
Answers to common questions about the new order can be found here.
Cocktails-to-go still allowed in NC
Restaurants and bars will still be allowed to sell to-go cocktails in May.
Gov. Roy Cooper extended an executive order on mixed drinks to June 1, allowing the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission to issue business permits for delivery or take-out on mixed-beverages, The News & Observer reported.
The extension accompanied his executive order on Wednesday relaxing more restrictions in the state.
Herd immunity looks ‘further away’ in Charlotte
Charlotte is still behind on reaching herd immunity with about 40% of the county population fully vaccinated as of Thursday.
The threshold for local herd immunity could range between 65% and 85%, The Charlotte Observer reported. Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said vaccine demand in Mecklenburg County has gone down recently.
Dr. Lewis McCurdy, specialty director of infectious diseases at Atrium Health, said during a briefing Thursday that herd immunity “seems further and further away” given the diminished demand.
“I do think herd immunity is the best way for us as a larger community to collectively get out of this pandemic sooner rather than later,” McCurdy said. “It’s a reason for people to continue to get vaccinated so we can try to reach that number.”
NC providers work to keep vaccine doses from being wasted
Health providers in the Charlotte area are tracking down people who want to get COVID-19 vaccines in an effort to make sure no doses get thrown out.
“I have a very strict policy,” said Dr. Arin Piramzadian, chief medical officer for StarMed.“It doesn’t matter how late we have to stay — we will get that dose to anybody. No dose gets wasted.”
Dr. Meg Sullivan, medical director for Mecklenburg County, said public health officials have used all doses, despite the challenges of determining how many shots are needed for some vaccine clinics.
When doses are left over, providers have turned to social media and gone into businesses to find people who are willing to get vaccinated, The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday.
Health officials say the Pfizer vaccine can stay roughly six hours at room temperature, and pierced vials of the Moderna vaccine should only be kept for about 12 hours.
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 6:52 AM.
