COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on May 14
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases top 989,000
At least 989,338 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,862 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,501 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, up from 1,394 the day before.
Nine 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.
At least 926 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Friday, a slight increase from 925 the day before.
As of Wednesday, the latest day for which data is available, 3.8% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 51% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 45.9% are fully vaccinated.
Cooper lifts mask mandate
Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday he is removing most mask and distancing restrictions in North Carolina.
Cooper’s announcement comes after the CDC issued new guidance saying individuals who are vaccinated no longer need to wear a face covering.
The North Carolina order, however, lifts the requirement for everyone in the state — regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated, The News & Observer reported.
“That means in most settings, indoors or outdoors, the state of North Carolina will no longer require you to wear a mask or to be socially distant,” Cooper said at a press conference. “This is a big step forward, in living our lives the way they were before the pandemic.”
Even so, state health officials said they will continue to recommend face masks for unvaccinated people. Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said everyone should also wear a face covering in crowded settings.
Masks will still be required on public transportation and in child care centers, schools, prisons and certain public health settings, Cooper said.
In Charlotte, where just over 36% of Mecklenburg County residents are fully vaccinated, some businesses have said they’ll keep a mask requirement in place. Others have said they want proof of vaccination for entry.
Cooper’s order also lifts restrictions on indoor capacity limits and social distancing requirements. That means the Carolina Hurricanes could “bring as many fans into PNC Arena as NHL regulations will allow,” The N&O reported. Officials said masks are still recommended at large sporting events.
NC not ready to lift mask mandate in schools
State health officials said it’s too soon to say when they will stop requiring public and private schools to wear masks indoors.
While Gov. Roy Cooper lifted the state’s mask requirement Friday, officials said face coverings will still be required at schools, child care centers and camps because most children have not been vaccinated yet or are not eligible.
State Health Director Dr. Betsey Tilson said Thursday it could be some time before the requirement is lifted — citing in part the recent approval for kids 12 to 15 to get the Pfizer vaccine, The News & Observer reported.
“Although it’s great news that our 12 and up are eligible for a vaccine, there’s obviously a lot of people under age 12 that are in our school setting, so we’re still going to be for a while predominantly unvaccinated students,” she said. “And we see that strength of that mask mandate.”
Masks not required at Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600 will be held at full capacity and masks won’t be required outdoors, Charlotte Motor Speedway officials announced Friday. Officials did, however, request that fans who have not been vaccinated wear a mask.
The May 30 NASCAR race was originally going to be at 30% capacity, The Charlotte Observer reported. There were no fans in attendance at last year’s Coca-Cola 600 and very few at the fall race because of the pandemic.
The speedway’s decision follows Gov. Roy Cooper’s announcement Friday relaxing several restrictions in the state.
“We are thrilled with today’s news that will allow fans to return to America’s Home for Racing without limitation,” CMS general manager Greg Walter said in a release.
“From the outset of the pandemic, whether operating a drive-through testing clinic or hosting the state’s first mass vaccination event, this has been the ultimate goal — to get back to filling the grandstands for the biggest, most entertaining events in motorsports.”
UNC hosts graduation ceremonies
UNC-Chapel Hill’s first in-person commencement ceremonies started Friday with virtual speeches from Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.
Corbett, a Carolina alumna, conducted research critical to the development of the Moderna vaccine and works under Fauci at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, The News & Observer reported.
Fauci’s team initially turned down the request to speak at graduation. But UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said Fauci later requested to participate, citing “the impact that our researchers have had on taking on the virus.”
Faculty at UNC Chapel Hill have collaborated with scientists at the NIH throughout the pandemic. The university was also instrumental in finding a vaccine and proving that the Moderna vaccine worked. The only COVID-19 treatment approved by federal authorities, Remdesivir, was similarly discovered at a UNC lab.
“Our students and faculty at Carolina have played a leading role in solving some of the greatest challenges of the pandemic,” Guskiewicz said.
Some Charlotte companies hiring as economy bounces back
As the economy bounces back, some North Carolina businesses are bringing thousands of new workers on board.
Many retailers and restaurants are facing labor shortages, and several companies are hiring in the Charlotte area.
Those include “FedEx, Lowe’s, Amazon and Spectrum,” The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday.
Last week, the U.S. Labor Department reported 473,000 jobless claims, the lowest number since coronavirus-related restrictions started to take hold in mid-March 2020.
Children start getting COVID vaccine
Thursday marked the first day in North Carolina that the Pfizer vaccine became available for kids ages 12 to 15 in Wake County.
Gov. Roy Cooper visited the Wake County Human Services Center in Raleigh where some children were getting the vaccine, saying he is “pleased to see that vaccinations have been expanded.” The site is one of two walk-in clinics in the county offering the vaccine to kids 12 to 15, The News & Observer reported.
In Charlotte, Novant Health started vaccinating kids Wednesday night. Atrium Health and CVS Health were aiming to start vaccinating kids in that age group on Thursday, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Novant chief nursing officer Nikki Nissen said opening vaccines up to more age groups might help boost vaccination rates in the Charlotte area.
“This is our chance to try to get back to our new normal,” Nissen said. “We just really want to continue to encourage people to get their shot.”
CDC updates mask guidelines for fully vaccinated people
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus don’t need to wear masks.
They “can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.
That includes visiting hair salons, going to the mall or museum when it’s not crowded, eating in restaurants and participating in exercise classes, according to the CDC. Fully vaccinated individuals also don’t need their masks outside, regardless of the crowd size.
But masks are still required on planes, buses and trains, regardless of vaccination status, and for those in health care settings, correctional facilities and homeless shelters.
After the CDC’s announcement, Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris called the updated recommendations “great news” but said residents still need to wear masks in public, citing Gov. Roy Cooper’s statewide mask mandate that remains in effect.
Audit says NC didn’t properly monitor $3 billion in COVID relief
North Carolina officials divided more than $3 billion in federal COVID-19 relief without proper oversight, an audit said Thursday.
The financial review said the state’s budget and pandemic recovery offices “‘did not design and implement procedures to ensure that Coronavirus Relief Funds were being spent in accordance with the rules for the money,” The News & Observer reported.
“As a result, there was an increased risk that recipients could have misused the funds without the misuse being detected and corrected timely,” N.C. State Auditor Beth Wood wrote.
State Budget Director Charles Perusse said the two offices mentioned in the audit were low on staff after not getting the amount of workers they requested from the legislature.
“We take the findings presented in this report very seriously, and we have already begun making the changes to address them,” Perusse wrote.
NASCAR not requiring masks in outdoor competition areas
NASCAR, which has a large presence in the Charlotte area, said Thursday it will no longer require team members and officials to wear face masks outside.
The change applies to racetrack competition areas, including near the infield and garages, The Charlotte Observer reported. Since last year, people had been required to wear masks in those sections due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Masks are still required indoors and in other spaces that are subject to state or local rules, according to NASCAR protocol.
“Going forward, our focus is on encouraging everyone to get vaccinated and preventing the indoor spread of COVID-19,” officials said in a statement.
This story was originally published May 14, 2021 at 7:45 AM.
