COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Sept. 11
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 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, religious 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.
Charlotte brewery bans anti-mask church from its parking lot. ‘Freedom isn’t free.’
A popular brewery in Charlotte’s South End district is banning a nearby church that vowed to ignore Mecklenburg County’s mask mandate from using its parking lot.
“We will no longer allow this church to use our parking lot on Sundays,” Chris Harker, owner of Triple C Brewing Co. posted on Facebook Friday, referring to Freedom House Church. “Freedom isn’t always free I guess.”
Penny and Troy Maxwell, the married senior pastors of the church, have expressed their opposition to the mandate in social media posts and a statement to The Charlotte Observer.
“Mecklenburg County is messing with the wrong people,” Penny Maxwell said in an Instagram video, adding, “Our lawyers are ready to go.”
In a brief phone interview Saturday, Harker told The Charlotte Observer the decision to block the Sunday worshipers was made with the best interests of the overall community in mind. The church didn’t reply to an email by the Observer on Saturday requesting comment about the parking ban.
In a 5-4 vote, Mecklenburg County commissioners on Wednesday agreed to remove the exemption for religious organizations from the mask mandate that takes effect on Sept. 22.
Veteran Charlotte firefighter dies of COVID-19. Wife hospitalized.
A longtime firefighter has died of COVID-19, the Charlotte Fire Department said Saturday.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the tragic passing of Charlotte Firefighter Jeffery Hager, a 24-year veteran with the department,” fire officials said in a statement.
The 46-year-old Hager died Friday afternoon “after valiantly fighting COVID-19 for several weeks,” according to the statement.
COVID also hospitalized his wife, Amee, friends posted on a Go Fund Me fundraiser for their four children. Her condition was unknown on Saturday.
The Go Fund Me fundraiser hoped to raise $10,000 for groceries, clothing and any other immediate need expenses for their children. By Saturday, 358 people had contributed a total of $38,000.
Longtime fall festival goes virtual due to delta variant COVID surge
A popular North Carolina fall festival that draws over 16,000 annual visitors is switching to a virtual event this year due to a local and regional surge in delta variant COVID cases, organizers said Thursday.
The NC Fall Liver Mush Festival: Mush, Music and Mutts has been a mainstay in uptown Shelby for at least 30 years. Last year, COVID canceled the festival that celebrates all things liver mush.
While the 2021 Little Miss Liver Mush Pageant has been canceled, other popular festival events will continue virtually, including the Liver Mush Cooking Video Contest, festival director Emily Epley said.
Liver mush, a western North Carolina specialty, is described by Southern Living as a “puree of pig’s liver and spices bound with enough cooked cornmeal mush to make it moldable and sliceable.”
“We WILL still have ‘SO MUSH’ fun,” Epley said in an email announcing the switch to online, possibly Oct. 15.
10% of students in large school district quarantined due to COVID
Ten percent of the students in one of North Carolina’s largest school systems were quarantined over the past week due to close contact with someone at school who tested positive for COVID-19, school officials said Friday night.
And nearly 1,000 of the students in the Iredell-Statesville Schools were isolated with COVID-19 symptoms, or 5% of the student population, officials said.
With more than 20,000 students, Iredell-Statesville Schools north of Charlotte ranks among the 20 largest school systems in the state.
According to the district’s weekly COVID-19 update released Friday night, 2,065 students were quarantined between Friday, Sept. 3, and Thursday, Sept. 9, because of close contact with someone at school who tested positive for the virus.
Another 516 students, or 1% of the student population, were quarantined because of close contact with somebody in the community who tested positive, the data shows.
COVID trends improve in Mecklenburg
Hospitalizations and other coronavirus metrics in Mecklenburg County saw modest improvements this week, data show.
The average number of hospitalizations 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.
This story was originally published September 11, 2021 at 8:17 AM.
