COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Sept. 10
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 5,800 COVID-19 cases reported
At least 1,279,500 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 15,075 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported 5,877 new COVID-19 cases, down from 6,290 reported the day before.
Health officials also added 71 new coronavirus-related deaths on Friday. State health officials don’t specify the dates on which newly reported deaths occurred.
At least 3,756 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday, the latest date for which data is available, including 909 who are being treated in intensive care units, health officials said.
As of Wednesday, 12.1% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 67% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 62% have been fully vaccinated. State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
Duke Energy delays return to office
Duke Energy in Charlotte, which planned to start bringing employees back to the office this month, has pushed that plan back to October amid a rise in coronavirus cases.
“This delay will give us time to continue evaluating the data and assessing our safety protocols and floor plans,” spokesman Neil Nissan said. “We’ll also look at how local mask mandates — such as the one here in Mecklenburg County — could impact our plans and our teammates.”
About 6,000 Duke employees work in the Charlotte area, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Charlotte church, leaders react to mask mandate
At least one church in Charlotte won’t comply with a new order requiring masks during religious services, even as other say they’re prepared to do what’s necessary to keep people safe.
The leaders of Freedom House Church said in an Instagram video they don’t plan to follow the requirement.
“Mecklenburg County is messing with the wrong people,” senior pastor Penny Maxwell said in the video, adding, “Our lawyers are ready to go.”
County commissioners voted Wednesday to require people attending indoor religious services and events to wear masks to curb the spread of COVID-19, highlighting disagreements about religious freedom among members.
James Howell, the senior pastor at Myers Park United Methodist Church, said his congregation is already required to wear a mask during service. Rabbi Asher Knight at Beth El said “everything is about the preservation of life” in Judaism.
COVID trends improve in Mecklenburg
Hospitalizations and other coronavirus metrics in Mecklenburg County saw modest improvements this week, data show.
The average number of hospitalizes fell to 437 this week, down from 451 at the beginning of September. The positivity rate also dropped from 13.7% to to 12.3% this week, and the number of new daily COVID-19 cases fell about 18% over the last two weeks.
But Public Health Director Gibbie Harris told The Charlotte Observer she wouldn’t be surprised if there is another “blip” in new cases given the level of activity in the city last weekend.
Cooper urges people to get ‘God-given’ vaccines
Gov. Roy Cooper urged more people to get vaccinated during a news conference Thursday, calling the COVID-19 vaccines “God-given” and “miraculous.”
“How many more people have to get sick and die because people don’t get this miraculous, God-given, effective and extraordinarily safe vaccine?” Cooper said. “How many more people will have to witness the painful, cruel death of a loved one to finally see that vaccines are the way out of this?”
Hospitals are “strained but not overwhelmed” as the number of new cases appears to be leveling off, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
NC reacts to COVID vaccine order
Political, medical and business leaders in North Carolina had mixed reactions to President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 mandate Thursday.
Dr. David Wohl, an infectious disease specialist at UNC-Chapel Hill, told The News & Observer a vaccine mandate “makes sense.” But some Republicans in the state said it is an overreach.
“Rather than being subject to Washington mandates, private employers should be allowed to determine what policies work best for their individual businesses and employees,” Rep. Patrick McHenry tweeted.
Republican U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn called Biden a “dictator,” while Rep. Dan Bishop tweeted, “And I was told Trump was the tyrant.”
No restrictions at two indoor Raleigh concerts
While some music venues in Raleigh require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter, there will be no such restrictions at two indoor Luke Combs concerts scheduled for Friday and Saturday at PNC Arena.
The arena allows individual performers to set those vaccine requirements, but Combs’ tour does not have those conditions.
PNC will, however, require attendants to wear a face mask when not eating or drinking.
The lack of safeguards in place is concerning for health officials given the quickly spreading delta variant, rise in COVID-19 patients in ICUs and elevated risk for unvaccinated people, The News & Observer reported.
Second school district requires vaccines for teachers
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district became the second district in North Carolina to institute a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for teachers and staff.
The decision follows a similar requirement in Orange County, The News & Observer reported.
Superintendent Nyah Hamlett said the district plans to be flexible, and there could be other requirements for workers who get an exemption.
Board member Mary Ann Wolf said the mandate is “in the best interests of our students but also our staff and our educators.”
Long lines for COVID tests in Charlotte
The “excruciatingly long” lines for COVID-19 tests reported in Mecklenburg County were likely driven by people getting tests to travel over Labor Day Weekend or go to holiday gatherings, Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said.
The average number of daily tests in Mecklenburg has jumped by nearly 125% over the last three months, The Charlotte Observer reported.
StarMed Healthcare, which operates several testing locations in the county, tweeted about the long lines on Tuesday.
“We really have our hands full,” StarMed said. “The volume of people we’re testing has skyrocketed. All of the healthcare organizations are doing the best we can. We’re all stretched incredibly thin.”
High school football player hospitalized with COVID
A football player at Sanderson High School in North Carolina has been hospitalized since Aug. 29 with the coronavirus.
The player, whom The News & Observer declined to name, is one of several on the team struck by a COVID-19 outbreak. According to updates from the family, the player developed some complications that “led to multiple surgeries and being placed on a ventilator.”
The football team at Sanderson is one of at least three clusters on athletic teams in Wake County this year, according to The N&O, and there have been at least 10 cases linked to the Sanderson cluster.
NC hospitals publish COVID patient numbers
Hospitals have started publishing data that shows what portion of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus have been vaccinated.
The overwhelming majority have not, according to The News & Observer.
“The rationale is to provide simple and visual information for the public that reflects reality,” said Alan Wolf, spokesman for UNC Health, the 12-hospital system based in Chapel Hill. “The evidence shows that you’re much less likely to end up in the hospital, much less likely to end up in the ICU and much less likely to die from this virus if you’ve been vaccinated.”
Health director urges masks at Panthers season opener
Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris is urging residents to get vaccinated and wear face masks ahead of the Carolina Panthers season opener against the Jets in Charlotte on Sunday.
But she told The Charlotte Observer she’s hoping the game “won’t be “as much of a problem as what we saw this (past) weekend” at the Duke’s Mayo Classic college football games.
“There is no way that there was not COVID circulating in the crowd (at the Mayo Classic),” Harris said.
She said she hopes fans heading to Panthers games are aware of the indoor mask mandate. The mandate does not require people to wear masks outdoors, but Harris said that people in packed areas, such as a football stadium, should wear one anyway.
“The message is ‘get vaccinated,’ ” Harris told the Observer. “And when you’re in a big crowd like that wear a mask. It’s that simple.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 7:14 AM.
