COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on June 26
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 400 hospitalizations reported
At least 1,012,343 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 13,412 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 388 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, down from 394 on Thursday.
Four additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported on Friday. Deaths don’t necessarily occur on the day the state reports them. The state health department revises its daily figures as more information becomes available.
At least 427 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Friday, down from 429 the day before.
As of Wednesday — the latest day with available data — 1.9% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 55% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and about 52% have been fully vaccinated. State health officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
N.C. State ousted from College World Series
The N.C. State University baseball team’s Saturday game in the College World Series was declared a no-contest by the NCAA overnight because many of its players were in quarantine due to COVID-19 protocols.
The team lost its Friday game to Vanderbilt, playing with four missing starters and just 13 of its 27 players available.
The NCAA decision was announced overnight, sending Vanderbilt to the CWS finals.
Cluster reported in NC county with low vaccine rate
North Carolina has reported a COVID-19 cluster in Bladen County, where about a third of the population is fully vaccinated.
About 60% of recent cases in the county over the last three weeks have been in a single ZIP code covering the town of Bladenboro, The News & Observer reported.
Most of the cases — roughly 64% — are among people 49 and younger, data show.
“What’s happening in Bladen County is preventable,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, in a press release. “More than 99% of new COVID-19 cases in North Carolina are in people who are not fully vaccinated. Vaccines are working.”
NC hospitals facing another crisis as COVID patient counts drop
As North Carolina hospitals see fewer COVID-19 patients, they’re increasingly seeing people who have mental and behavioral illnesses.
“It’s a second pandemic,” said Barbara-Ann Bybel, psychiatric services director at UNC Medical Center and UNC WakeBrook. “We’re referring to it as the mental health tsunami. And this giant wave is coming and it’s continuing to grow and it still hasn’t even made landfall yet.”
Emergency rooms are designed to tackle urgent medical needs but aren’t equipped to treat patients experiencing mental health crises.
Last week, the N.C. Healthcare Association joined medical organizations in asking for help from Gov. Roy Cooper and GOP state leaders.
“Quite simply, the behavioral health crisis across North Carolina has reached a state of emergency, and we urgently need your leadership and collaboration to address it,” the groups said in a letter to lawmakers.
COVID recovery could cause more hot car child deaths, group fears
Child safety advocates fear more children will die in hot cars this summer, as more workers return to job sites given declining COVID-19 case counts and higher vaccination rates.
“With families getting back into the workplace and schedules continuing to shift, Kids and Cars is very concerned there could be a rise in the number of children who die in hot cars,” according to a statement by the national organization on Friday.
The advocacy group issued the concern after a 2-year-old was found dead in a hot car on Thursday at a Gaston County industrial plant.
The child may have been in the vehicle at Industrial Fabricators Inc. south of Gastonia “for an extensive period,” according to the Gaston County Police Department.
The toddler is the fifth child to die in a hot car in the U.S. this year, according to the Kids and Cars safety organization. There were 26 deaths in 2020, but 53 in 2019 and 54 in 2018, the most fatalities in a year, the group website shows.
North Carolina ranks seventh in child hot car deaths, according to the organization. Since 1991, 39 children 14 and under have died in hot cars in the state, according to figures from the group.
NC Democrats holding vaccine phone banks
The N.C. Democratic Party will hold 36 statewide COVID-19 vaccine phone banks from Thursday, July 1, through Thursday, Aug. 26, party officials said Friday..
Training for the 100% virtual events will occur at the beginning of each 90-minute shift.
To volunteer, or for more details, visit Mobilize.US/NCDems.
North Carolina significantly trails President Joe Biden’s goal of 70% of adults getting a shot by July 4.
As of Friday, 45% of the state’s population was at least partially vaccinated, and 55% of adults, the News & Observer reported.
At its current pace, North Carolina will meet Biden’s goal in November, according to the N&O.
This story was originally published June 26, 2021 at 8:36 AM.
