COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on July 26
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 900 hospitalizations reported
At least 1,037,373 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 13,580 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,401 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, down from 1,910 on Sunday and 2,133 on Saturday. The state doesn’t update case counts over the weekend.
Ten additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Monday . 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 943 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday, up from 904 the day before.
As of Saturday, the latest day available, 8.6% 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.
Mecklenburg health department workers must get vaccine
Mecklenburg County Public Health employees will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine by early fall.
Officials said the requirement takes effect on Aug. 2. All employees will need to show proof of vaccination by Sept. 7, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“As public health staff, we have led the COVID-19 response efforts for the County and know too well the very high level of sickness, death, and impact the pandemic has had in our community,” Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said in a statement Monday. “Despite significant prevention efforts, COVID-19 continues to spread in our community.”
There will be disciplinary action for staff who refuse, she said, and they will also be required to wear a mask while doing county business and inside county buildings.
Mixed vaccine messages from NC Republicans
Several Republicans in North Carolina are sharing urgent warnings about the COVID-19 vaccine as other lawmakers in that political party refrain from promoting it.
During the pandemic, some Democrats “have also flip-flopped on the vaccine issue,” The Charlotte Observer reported Monday.
The mixed messages come as more than 94% of recent cases in North Carolina are among unvaccinated people. Some health experts say the division among politicians could make people hesitant to get their shots, The Charlotte Observer reported Monday.
“They need to be a lot, a lot more blunt and clear,” said Audrey Pettifor, a UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health epidemiologist. “When politicians don’t send clear messages, it’s one piece of many pieces of the puzzle that contribute to not solving the problem.”
COVID spread is at least ‘substantial’ in 13 NC counties
Thirteen of the 100 North Carolina counties are experiencing “critical” or “substantial” spread of COVID-19 as the delta variant continues to threaten the state.
Cherokee, Chowan, Cleveland, Cumberland, Graham, Hoke, Lee, Onslow, Pender, Pitt, Rutherford and Sampson counties are marked orange on the statewide coronavirus map, meaning there’s “substantial community spread” in those areas.
Richmond County is the only one in the state that’s marked in red, indicating a “critical” level of spread.
“In order for a county to be labeled red, it must have more than 200 new cases per 100,000 residents with at least 42 total cases over a 14-day period,” The News & Observer reported Monday. “It must also have either more than 10% of tests returning positive, or a high impact on local hospitals.”
All other counties in the state were labeled as having low, moderate or significant spread.
Billy Graham’s grandson hospitalized with COVID
A minister who preached across North Carolina is in the hospital with coronavirus-related complications, The News & Observer reported.
Jonathan Lotz, grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham, was in intensive care as of Sunday, his mother wrote on Facebook.
“Fifty years ago I could hold my son in my arms,” Anne Graham Lotz wrote in an online post. “Now I have placed him in the arms of Jesus.”
The Rev. Billy Graham, a North Carolina native, was a famous evangelist who died in 2018.
Public universities in NC not requiring vaccines
While some private colleges in North Carolina will require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 next school year, there won’t be a mandate at the state’s 16 public universities.
UNC System Schools have cited a “lack of clear legal authority” in their decision. But the institutions are recommending that students get their shots.
At UNC-Chapel Hill, roughly 20,000 students reported that they were vaccinated as of earlier this month, The News & Observer reported Saturday.
This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 12:26 PM.
