COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Sept. 22
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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 100 additional deaths reported
At least 1,356,985 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 15,941 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 6,288 new COVID-19 cases, up from 4,381 the day before.
One hundred thirty additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday. State health officials don’t specify the dates on which newly reported deaths occurred.
At least 3,400 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19, including 909 adult patients who are being treated in intensive care units, health officials said.
On Monday, the latest date with available information, 11.4% 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.
Duke, UNC health workers miss vaccine deadline
A few hundred employees in the UNC Health system missed the deadline to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or get an approved exemption, meaning part of their annual bonuses are now lost.
Duke Health said “fewer than 200” of its workers are on unpaid leave after missing the deadline. They have until Tuesday to comply, The News & Observer reported.
UNC employees who missed the deadline are on probation and have until Nov. 2 to comply. Anyone who doesn’t get a vaccine or waiver by Nov. 2 will be terminated.
County official scolds school board over quarantine decision
Union County school board Chairperson Melissa Merrell said Monday the state planned to issue an order of abatement if the board reinstate quarantine requirements for students exposed to COVID-19.
“They would come in and take over our Union County Public School properties,” Merrell said Monday during a Board of County Commissioners meeting.
The school board has since voted to revise its previous order to allow for a shortened quarantine period. But several county commissioners remain concerned, with three of the five refusing to give the school board a vote of confidence Monday, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Board of Commissioners Chairman Richard Helms said he supports leaving masks optional in schools but wasn’t in favor of “throwing caution to the wind.”
“It’s kind of like playing Russian roulette with our children,” he said. “And that I’m totally against.”
Wake suspends summer learning program
Wake County Schools decided to suspend its summer learning program, citing staffing shortages.
Officials announced the program will be put on “pause” for the rest of the fall semester, even though year-round and modified-calendar students aren’t finished, The News & Observer reported. The decision has left students in need of extra learning in the lurch, as well as cost teachers thousands of dollars in extra income.
Kat Noland, a teacher at Laurel Park Elementary School in Apex, told The News & Observer that parents, teachers and staff were “completely blindsided.”
“If we would have been asked, we would have told you our students who need it most benefited greatly from the first two weeks of camp and we would have helped to find creative solutions to ensure the program continued,” Noland said.
Should you get a flu shot with your COVID booster?
The start of flu season coincides with the FDA’s endorsement of COVID-19 booster shots, prompting concerns from people about taking both.
But Dr. Anita Skariah, UNC Health internist and pediatrician, said the flu shot and COVID vaccine are both necessary and safe to get around the same time, The News & Observer reported.
“In the past, the CDC had recommended waiting 14 days between COVID vaccines and any other vaccines, but now they feel this is unnecessary based on the evidence,” Skariah said.
She did say, however, that people might want to space them out if they’re worried about side effects.
“You may experience mild side effects from each of the vaccines, so if you wanted to separate the two vaccines by two weeks, that would also be reasonable,” she said.
NC company offering workers chance to win car as vaccine incentive
A North Carolina company is giving its workers the chance to win a Tesla car in an effort to persuade workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Cree, a technology company in Durham, said it’s also offering electronics and jewelry as prizes in the incentive, which runs through Dec. 15, The News & Observer reported Wednesday.
“We’re trying to encourage people to make a decision to go ahead and get the vaccine,” said Gregg Lowe, CEO of Cree, which will be known as Wolfspeed starting in October. “That decision is up to them, but we’re trying to encourage them.”
Voluntary testing to start in Wake schools
The Wake County school district plans to urge students and workers to take COVID-19 tests on a volunteer basis.
But eventually, testing could be a requirement for some people in the Triangle-area district. A mandate that’s pending on the federal level calls for unvaccinated workers to get tested each week, and Wake could require tests for student athletes, The News & Observer reported Wednesday.
“If we’re going to get this under control, if we’re going to wrap our arms around this, we need everyone’s help in asking all of our students, faculty, staff and employees to help us in this effort and voluntarily test, whether you’re vaccinated or unvaccinated,” said school board chairman Keith Sutton. “Testing helps us.”
Mecklenburg changing requirements for its unvaccinated workers
Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, plans to change testing rules for its workers who haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccine.
Though Mecklenburg County Public Health workers must have their vaccines, most other county employees aren’t required to get a shot.
But the county has a weekly testing requirement for people it employs who aren’t vaccinated. After more than 350 employees were initially suspended for not following the rules, 86 are still under suspension, officials said.
County Manager Dena Diorio on Tuesday said officials are making changes to ease possible confusion about testing. Starting this weekend, unvaccinated workers will be allowed to share proof of getting a COVID-19 test any day of the week, The Charlotte Observer reported.
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.
This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 7:06 AM.
