COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on July 23
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Over 1,900 new cases reported
At least 1,031,929 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 13,570 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,998 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, up from 1,800 on Thursday.
Eight additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported 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 817 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, up from 751 the day before.
As of Wednesday, the latest day available, 6.7% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 60% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 57% have been fully vaccinated. State health officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
Wake goes door-to-door offering vaccines
Wake County health workers are going door-to-door offering a COVID-19 vaccine to residents in neighborhoods with low vaccination rates.
“What we have been concerned about is seeing the vaccination rate go down and down and we assume that meant that people weren’t interested anymore, but it’s not true,” said said Dr. Nerissa Price, medical director of WakeMed Physician Practices Well-Being Initiatives. “People just need access.”
Some elderly people have told her they have had issues with transportation in getting the vaccine. Other people with children said they have trouble finding time, The News & Observer reported.
But they aren’t necessarily hesitant, she said.
“All we needed to do was to knock on doors, and they would open those doors and say, ‘I want the shot.’ That’s wonderful news. We can help with that,” Price said.
Some Charlotte colleges will require vaccines
Some college students in the Charlotte area have been given conflicting instructions as to whether they need a COVID-19 vaccine to return to campus.
Johnson and Wales University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lenoir-Rhyne University and Queens University of Charlotte are all requiring students to get the vaccine, The Charlotte Observer reported. But Belmont Abbey College, Davidson College and Wingate University have said a vaccine won’t be required.
What’s driving surge in hospitalizations?
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina has nearly doubled since early July and is at its highest since mid-May.
State health officials said about 94% of new cases are people who are not vaccinated. Many of them are the delta variant, which spreads more easily.
Dr. David Wohl, an infectious disease expert at UNC, told The News & Observer the number of hospitalizations attributed to the delta variant isn’t surprising given the spread nationwide. He also said many of the patients this time are younger.
“When we look at the ICU for COVID-19, we’re taking about people in their 30s, 40s and 50s,” Wohl said. “I mean there’s hardly a person there who is older. It just really tells you a completely different story than what we saw before. Much younger people are coming into the hospital.”
Raleigh airport revives expansion plans
Raleigh-Durham International Airport announced it will resume some construction projects put on pause by the coronavirus pandemic as travel picks up.
Officials said they will add two more lanes to the security checkpoint in Terminal 2 and finish building a parking area where planes can stay overnight.
The news comes as business travel, which accounted for roughly half of the people flying before the pandemic, remains lagging even as “leisure” travelers return in droves.
RDU president Michael Landguth estimates business travelers currently account for about 35% of travelers.
Business travelers are more likely to be frequent fliers and pay top dollar for plane tickets, meals and memberships — making up about 70% of airline revenue, The News & Observer reported. There is some concern, however, that type of travel won’t come back because of technology that’s changed how we do business.
Scott McCartney, who covers the airline business for The Wall Street Journal, told The N&O an analysis by himself and three industry associates showed technology could replace anywhere from 19% to 36% of business travel.
“We think this is profound, for the airline industry to lose 20% of its business travel,” he said. “It’s going to have a huge impact.”
‘Delta is a game-changer,’ expert says
Some have questioned whether vaccinated individuals need to wear face masks as hospitalizations and case numbers rise amid growing concerns over the delta variant of the coronavirus.
Dr. David Alain Wohl, a professor at the Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases at UNC-Chapel Hill, told The News & Observer it’s a “challenging time.”
“Delta is a game-changer. It is much more catchy, and data indicate that even fully vaccinated people can become infected with the virus, possibly shedding it for a time before beating it back,” he said.
Some experts said they are vaccinated but still wear a face mask indoors and in public spaces.
Few COVID cases tested for delta variant
State epidemiologist Zack Moore with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said more than 75% of recent COVID-19 tests in the state are the delta variant — but the testing sample makes up less than 10% of all tests.
About 6% to 10% of tests in the state are tested for the more transmissible variant, The News & Observer reported.
Though that figure seems low, Moore told The N&O it has increased from a few months ago and is a big indicator that the delta variant is spreading in North Carolina.
“It’s not rocket science,” Moore said. “The delta variant is replacing all other variants globally, nationally, and in North Carolina. That’s what we’re seeing with our data here, so we’re very confident that this is a true reflection of what’s going on this variant.”
How Charlotte is looking to spend $60M in COVID aid
Charlotte City Council members are exploring three funding categories and some smaller potential investments for $60 million in federal COVID-19 relief money allocated to the city.
They include homelessness prevention and housing rehabilitation, workforce development and employment, and “community vitality,” The Charlotte Observer reported.
About $2 million in funding has already been allocated to the arts and culture sector as part of the council’s plan for a sustainable funding stream in local arts.
Top NC lawmaker says mandatory vaccines in schools is ‘problematic’
Senate leader Phil Berger said that schools mandating a vaccine available for emergency use would be “somewhat problematic.”
The discussion followed Gov. Roy Cooper’s decision Wednesday to let local school districts issue their own decisions about whether masks will be required in schools.
Berger told reporters Thursday “the conversation changes” about mandatory vaccines in schools “once you get final approval from the FDA for the vaccine.”
“I’ve said all along that I felt like vaccination is a decision that I personally made as the right decision for me. I think the more people that are vaccinated, the better. But that’s a decision people need to make in consultation with their health care provider,” he said.
This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 7:09 AM.
