COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on July 7
Click here for updates for July 8.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 400 new cases reported
At least 1,016,262 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 13,460 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 415 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, up from 231 on Tuesday.
An additional five coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday. 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 415 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Wednesday, up from 391 the day before.
As of Monday, the most recent day for which data is available, 4.8% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 56% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 53% have been fully vaccinated. State health officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
Cooper expresses concern over delta variant
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper visited a vaccination site at the Charlotte Transit Center in uptown on Wednesday, where Cooper said the delta variant may likely be the cause of a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases.
“We’re worried,” Cooper said. “We’re in a race against this delta variant. The more people we can get vaccinated, the more people we can protect from it.”
Cooper said the current available vaccines protect from coronavirus variants. But Becerra said people need to get vaccinated quickly, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“This virus is constantly mutating,” Becerra said. “The more it mutates, the greater the chance that a mutated version will outwit and out-strengthen our vaccine. As the governor said, we have got to stay ahead of this.”
Hopscotch Music Festival to have in-person events
A music festival is set to bring in-person shows to North Carolina after the coronavirus pandemic forced organizers to move last year’s event online.
The Hopscotch Music Festival is planning to bring its lineup to downtown Raleigh from Sept. 9 to 11, but it won’t stick with its normal structure of having concerts indoors and outdoors, organizers said Tuesday.
“Due to the impact from COVID-19 we want to make sure that everyone feels safe, and is safe, so for the first time ever we will be presenting Hopscotch 2021 with a more traditional festival layout featuring all outdoor shows for official programming with a 75% capacity,” the festival said on its website.
’Disruptive’ passengers delay flight over masks
An American Airlines flight from Charlotte to the Bahamas was delayed Monday after a group of passengers refused to wear masks.
Airlines spokesman Andrew Trull told The Charlotte Observer the group wouldn’t comply with federal COVID-19 mask requirements and became “disruptive to other customers.” They were asked to leave the plane, and the flight was delayed until Tuesday morning.
Delta variant threat rises in NC
The delta coronavirus variant is spreading in North Carolina and likely responsible for 30% of detected COVID-19 cases in the state in recent weeks, state epidemiologist Zack Moore with the N.C. DHHS told The News & Observer.
Moore predicted that more than 90% of coronavirus cases will be caused by the delta variant by the end of this month but said it’s too soon to tell for sure.
North Carolina is unlikely, however, to see a surge in COVID-19 cases like the one that occurred in the fall because of the state’s vaccination rate, Moore told The N&O.
But the variant could lead to more infections and deaths among those who are not fully vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that unvaccinated people continue to wear masks and social distance.
Moore said the best way to protect yourself against the delta variant is to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
This story was originally published July 7, 2021 at 7:04 AM.
