COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Sept. 21
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
More than 3,000 patients hospitalized
At least 1,350,697 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 15,811 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reported 4,381 new COVID-19 cases, up from 3,257 the day before.
Thirty-five additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Tuesday. State health officials don’t specify the dates on which newly reported deaths occurred.
At least 3,464 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, including 908 adult patients who are being treated in intensive care units, health officials said.
The data also shows nearly 1 in 5 people hospitalized with the virus in North Carolina are on a ventilator as of Tuesday.
On Sunday, the latest date with available information, 11% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 68% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 63% have been fully vaccinated. State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
Durham pauses pandemic rental assistance
Durham County plans to pause applications for rental assistance due to the coronavirus pandemic on Oct. 4 to deal with a backlog of outstanding requests.
The county has received over 6,900 applications since the program started in May — 3,000 of which are still being processed, The News & Observer reported.
Officials have the said the pause will be temporary while the Durham County Department of Social Services determines whether there is enough money to process the existing applications.
“What we’re seeing is the need to just try to get the rest of this money out the door,” said Ben Rose, director of DSS. “This will help us be able to process quicker.”
K9 officer dies of COVID complications
K9 Officer Carl Proper with the Kings Mountain Police Department in North Carolina died Friday from complications related to the coronavirus.
The 39-year-old canine officer was married with two daughters and a son, The Charlotte Observer reported.
It wasn’t immediately clear on Tuesday whether he had been vaccinated.
Kings Mountain is in Cleveland County, where COVID-19 has run rampant in recent weeks, officials said. Commissioners Chairman Doug Bridge said the county is experiencing a “delta variant crisis.”
COVID clusters reported at NC schools
More schools in North Carolina have reported active COVID-19 clusters, according to the state’s weekly report.
At least 26 public and private schools in the Triangle Area have clusters, The News & Observer reported. The Charlotte Observer reported three schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have active clusters.
There is, however, a time lag as to when COVID-19 cases are listed on the report — meaning schools could have more or fewer cases than displayed by the state.
A cluster is defined as five or more linked cases in a 14-day period.
Cooper calls for end to school board bullying
Gov. Roy Cooper urged people not to bully school boards out of instituting COVID-19 protective measures, telling reporters during a news conference Tuesday that youth have the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the state.
“Threats, bullying, intimidation — none of this belongs in our public schools, particularly by adults,” Cooper said. “Remember, our children are watching.”
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said people younger than 17 accounted for a third of all new COVID-19 cases during the week ending Sept. 18.
Cohen and Cooper both said masks should still be worn indoors until more people are vaccinated, The News & Observer reported.
NC provider suspends almost 400 workers due to vaccine rules
A hospital system in North Carolina said it suspended hundreds of workers who were out of compliance with its COVID-19 vaccine program.
Novant Health, which has a presence in the Charlotte area, said the suspensions impact about 1% of its employees.
Affected employees have been put on suspension for five days. After that, the hospital system plans to terminate anyone who doesn’t comply, The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday.
Employees are considered compliant if they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or received exemptions for religious or medical reasons. Workers with exemptions must get weekly coronavirus tests and wear protective gear, officials said.
COVID forces Charlotte Pride to rework events
Charlotte Pride’s biggest parade will be broadcast virtually, and other events will move to a hybrid of online and smaller in-person gatherings.
Daniel Valdez (he/him/his), president of the Charlotte Pride board of directors, previously said vaccination rates, positivity rates and community spread would determine whether events could be held in person.
“We have not seen key pandemic indicators significantly improve in the four weeks since we announced event postponements,” Valdez said. “Despite our initial optimism and strong desire to see the return of our traditional festival and parade, the reality of the pandemic means we must take serious precautions to safeguard the health and well-being of our valuable and vulnerable community.”
Johnston County votes to require face masks
The Johnston County school board voted Monday to continue requiring face masks in schools.
The 4-3 decision comes one week after U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn led a protest opposing a continuation of the mask mandate, The News & Observer reported.
Board members also agreed to create a group that will discuss the metrics for lifting the requirement.
Triangle hospitals reach deadline for vaccine requirement
The deadline for employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus or receive an approved exemption at two of Triangle’s biggest hospital systems is Tuesday.
As of Monday, The News & Observer reported, hundreds of workers Duke Health and UNC Health had neither. Employees who fail to comply with the requirement face being let go.
“We don’t want to lose a single person; that’s never been our goal,” said Dr. Matt Ewend, chief clinical officer at UNC Health. “But we also don’t want to move away from what we think is this important mandate for the health of our patients and our coworkers.”
More information about hospitals affected by the deadline, repercussions employees face and current compliance rates at those hospitals can be found here.
Over 70% of full-time Raleigh workers are vaccinated
Roughly 70% of Raleigh’s full-time workers are vaccinated against COVID-19, compared to 30% of the city’s part-time workers.
City employees had until Friday to get a vaccine or submit to weekly testing, The News & Observer reported. Raleigh officials have said only workers who have been vaccinated will be considered for promotions and it will only hire new employees who have been vaccinated.
According to data released by the city, about 62% of Raleigh firefighters and 65% of police officers have been vaccinated.
Charlotte-area district could shorten COVID quarantines
A Charlotte-area school district could resume quarantines that it had stopped for most students.
The Union County school board on Monday voted 8-1 to reduce the periods for quarantine, though it didn’t say how long they would be.
The decision came after Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, last week threatened to sue the school board if it didn’t take back its decision to end most quarantines.
On Sept. 13, the board had decided to only quarantine students who had coronavirus symptoms or who tested positive for COVID-19, instead of those who had been exposed to the disease.
The Charlotte Observer contacted school district and health officials on Monday but didn’t immediately hear back.
Vaccine warning shared on truck near Panthers stadium
A truck driving near the Carolina Panthers game on Sunday was marked with the message: “Don’t get vaccinated.”
The vehicle claims to be from Wilmore Funeral Home, which has a website that says: “Get vaccinated now. If not, see you soon.” The page directs people to vaccination information for StarMed, a provider that wasn’t behind the tactic, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“If this saves one person’s life by getting vaccinated, I’m 100% for it,” said Dr. Arin Piramzadian, chief medical officer for StarMed.
Piramzadian doesn’t know who commissioned the truck, which was spotted near Bank of America Stadium as the Panthers played the New Orleans Saints.
This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 7:04 AM.
