COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Aug. 31
Click here for updates for Sept. 1.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
56 COVID-related deaths added
At least 1,213,654 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 14,468 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported 5,351 new COVID-19 cases, up from 4,569 on Monday.
Fifty-six new coronavirus-related deaths were added on Tuesday. The state health department doesn’t specify the dates on which newly reported deaths occurred.
At least 3,612 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, health officials said, including 941 patients being treated in intensive care units. That’s the highest coronavirus-related ICU patient count since the start of the pandemic, The News & Observer reported.
As of Sunday, the latest date with available information, 14.6% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 65% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 60% have been fully vaccinated. Among all age groups, the statewide vaccination rate has climbed to about 50%.
State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
Wake could ease eligibility for student athletes
The Wake County School Board’s policy committee expressed support for a proposal Tuesday that would temporarily ease athletic eligibility rules to let more students play sports.
One of those rules requires students to have been in attendance for at least 85% of the previous semester, The News & Observer reported. In requesting to waive that rule, district administrators pointed to students who had more absences because of COVID-19 quarantines or trouble connecting to online classes.
“We want to offer grace and flexibility to students who may have had issues with attendance during the spring semester,” Eric Fitts, Wake’s senior director for middle school programs, told the committee Tuesday.
The school board is scheduled to vote next week on waiving the attendance requirement.
Triangle schools report active COVID clusters
A new report from the state health department shows active COVID-19 clusters at 17 schools in the Triangle — including 11 in Wake County, three in Durham County, and one each in Granville, Harnett and Johnston counties.
At least three schools in Wake County have more than 20 coronavirus cases, The News & Observer reported.
Charlotte doctors push for vaccinations
Doctors in the Charlotte area have renewed their push for people to get vaccinated amid an influx of hospitalizations, The Charlotte Observer reported.
About 92% of patients in the intensive care units at Novant Health hospitals are unvaccinated, according to Dr. David Priest, Novant’s chief safety, quality and epidemiology officer. Of those on ventilators, Priest said 94% are unvaccinated.
“This remains a COVID surge of the unvaccinated spilling into the vulnerable vaccinated,” he said.
The average age of an unvaccinated patient in the hospital with COVID-19 is 49 — much younger than earlier in the pandemic, The Observer reported. The average age of someone who has been vaccinated and ends up in the hospital is 78.
NC districts temporarily move to remote learning due to COVID
Two school districts are the first in North Carolina to transition to remote learning due to the delta coronavirus variant.
The Graham and Mitchell County school systems, both in the western part of the state, will temporarily stop in-person classes.
This week, the two districts also approved requiring face masks when students go back into school, The News & Observer reported.
UNC reports more COVID clusters
Coronavirus clusters were reported on Tuesday in three residence halls at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“There are five or six cases on the 3rd floor of Ehringhaus dorm, the 7th and 8th floors of Hinton James dorm and the 3rd floor of Parker dorm,” The News & Observer reported.
The cases were reported after the university last week said it started testing students “out of an abundance of caution” in residence halls that had been linked to several COVID-19 infections.
This semester, UNC reported its first cluster of cases one week before the start of school. Recent COVID-19 metrics led some students to be concerned about access to tests over the weekend.
New law requires school boards to vote on face masks monthly
School boards must vote each month if they want to continue requiring face masks under a new law in North Carolina.
Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday signed a bill that addressed the mask decisions and other coronavirus-related topics, including remote instruction and graduation requirements.
Under the law, school districts that mandate face coverings must approve the requirement monthly. Statewide, 98 of 115 districts have chosen to require masks, The News & Observer reported Monday.
NC hospital brings in mobile morgue
UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton has added a mobile morgue because its on-site morgue was full from rising COVID-19 deaths.
At least 39 people with the coronavirus have died at the hospital, President and CEO Joann Anderson told The News & Observer. That’s well above a previous high of 31 deaths during the height of the pandemic in January.
The mobile morgue has room for six gurneys, half the number that fits in the hospital’s on-site morgue.
“We’re at 11 today, but it has been full at 12,” Anderson said on Monday. “Fortunately we’ve not had to put anyone in the mobile one yet. But we’re at 11, and unfortunately I just heard a Code Blue called a few minutes ago. That sends chills up my spine to think that that might be the 12th one.”
Time is running out to get $100 for a vaccine
Tuesday is the final day to receive $100 for getting vaccinated against the coronavirus as part of North Carolina’s Summer Card incentive program.
The program previously gave individuals $25 for receiving a shot, but officials upped the incentive to $100 on Aug. 4, The News & Observer reported.
State health department officials said Monday there was “notable increases in demand” after the change was announced. Some vaccine providers said they ran out of their card supply in one day.
More than 133,000 Summer Cards totaling $3.3 million have been distributed as of Monday.
Nearly 100 Charlotte schools report COVID cases
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has reported over 100 new coronavirus cases among students and staff after the first week of classes.
At least 125 students and 50 staff members have tested positive, The Charlotte Observer reported. There is also at least one COVID-19 case at 97 of the district’s 178 schools.
Two of those schools have reported COVID clusters in the last 28 days.
Bank branches temporarily close
Some banks are temporarily shutting down branches as COVID-19 spreads among staff, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Bank of America has closed at least eight of its branches in Charlotte as of Monday. Last month, Truist shut down the lobby of its SunTrust branch on Park Road after a coronavirus exposure.
“We are operating with an abundance of caution around keeping employees and clients as safe as possible during coronavirus, and on occasion, have temporarily closed locations,” Bank of America said in a statement.
Wake cracks down on school mask rules
The Wake County school system will require schools with COVID-19 clusters to monitor face mask compliance and report it to the district amid a surge in new cases.
“Decades of research show that compliance improves when behavior is monitored,” the school district said online. “Health experts tell us this one change can predictably reduce the number of positive cases in a school.”
Spokesperson Lisa Luten said a reporting process for compliance is in the works and will be shared with schools this week, The News & Observer reported.
Duke sets new COVID restrictions
Duke University has set new coronavirus restrictions on campus after hundreds of students and at least 15 employees tested positive for COVID-19 in the first week of classes.
Under the new rules, masks will be required indoors and outdoors, indoor group seating at dining facilities has been suspended, professors can teach remotely for the next two weeks, and student activities will be limited, The News & Observer reported.
All Duke employees are also required to get a coronavirus vaccine.
“This surge is placing significant stress on the people, systems and facilities that are dedicated to protecting our health, safety and the ability of Duke to fulfill its educational mission, particularly our isolation space for on-campus students who test positive,” Duke said in an email announcing the new guidelines.
Duke is among several Triangle-area employers mandating vaccines for workers. Here’s a list of some major companies’ requirements.
How will police enforce Mecklenburg mask mandate?
Mecklenburg County’s face mask requirement goes into effect Tuesday, and reports of noncompliance will be investigated by local police departments.
Anyone who doesn’t abide by the rule could be charged with a misdemeanor — but that’s unlikely, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will use “education and conversations” to encourage the public to wear a mask through a “complaint-driven process,” spokesman Thomas Hildebrand told the Observer.
”This has been the CMPD’s approach to consistent enforcement of the mandate, and it will remain so until the mandate is rescinded,” Hildebrand said. “CMPD received a tremendous level of cooperation from the community through the earlier mandates.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 7:15 AM.
