COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Sept. 30
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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.
80 additional deaths reported
At least 1,395,254 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 16,524 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported 4,765 new COVID-19 cases, down from 4,789 on Wednesday.
Eighty coronavirus-related deaths were added on Thursday. State health officials don’t specify the dates on which newly reported deaths occurred.
At least 2,943 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday, including 810 adult patients who are being treated in intensive care units, health officials said.
On Tuesday, the latest date with available information, 7.7% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 69% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 64% have been fully vaccinated. State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
First-grader dies of COVID in Charlotte
A 7-year-old student has died from the coronavirus, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools told The Charlotte Observer.
The child attended Stoney Creek Elementary and was in first grade.
There have been at least two pediatric deaths from COVID-19 in Mecklenburg County in 2021, county health officials said.
Stoney Creek Elementary has reported three confirmed cases since in-person classes started Aug. 25. All of those cases were reported in early September, according to the Observer.
Face masks stay optional in one NC district
A North Carolina judge ruled Thursday that face masks can remain optional in Lincoln County Schools.
The ruling came after students and families asked to reverse a 4-3 decision by the Lincoln County Board of Education ending mask requirements and quarantine periods. Lincoln County is one of just five districts in North Carolina where masks aren’t required, The Charlotte Observer reported.
At least 13 students and their parents sued the school board over the policy, saying it violates their constitutional guarantee to a safe learning environment.
They asked for a temporary restraining order keeping masks mandatory until Oct. 12, but the judge denied it.
Wells Fargo delays return to office — again
Wells Fargo won’t return to its offices until Jan. 10, employees were told Thursday, marking the third delay to in-person work for the banking giant.
“The health and safety of our employees and customers is our priority and guides our planning,” chief operating officer Scott Powell said in the memo. “Given the current environment, we look forward to welcoming our teams back in January.”
Under the new plan, operations and contact center workers will return first, The Charlotte Observer reported. Enterprise function and line of business support employees will follow.
Union County schools, health department reach new COVID agreement
A North Carolina school district has reached an agreement with health officials on coronavirus-related rules.
On Wednesday, Union County Public Schools and the local health department agreed on steps to meet quarantine and contact-tracing requirements, The Charlotte Observer reported.
This month, the school district’s board had approved a plan that limited quarantine and stopped school nurses and staff from contact tracing after positive COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said there could be legal consequences if the board didn’t take back its policy. Though the school board made revisions in another vote on Sept. 20, the county’s Public Health Director Dennis Joyner said it couldn’t properly isolate students without the district’s help.
GOP lawmaker got ‘nasty’ messages after COVID recovery
State Rep. Keith Kidwell, a Chocowinity Republican, was hospitalized with COVID-19 in August. He returned to the North Carolina House floor on Wednesday for the first time.
In a speech, Kidwell said Democrats were to blame for some “vile and nasty” messages he and his wife received while they were sick, The News & Observer reported.
“After a couple days, we started getting posts on Facebook that were wishing my wife and I would die,” he said. “They used various reasons to wish us this ill, from being Trump supporters to being too fat, to calling us anti-vaxxers or anti-maskers — which by the way, my vaccine status is nobody’s business, OK?”
Duke fired few workers over COVID vaccine mandate
Duke Health said fewer than 20 of its nearly 23,000 employees were fired for failing to meet the deadline to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
“We are incredibly proud of the commitment our team members have made to embody our core value of caring for our patients, their loved ones and each other,” Duke officials said in a statement.
Duke announced in July that vaccines would be mandatory. Employees had until Sept. 21 to get a shot or obtain a medical or religious exemption, The News & Observer reported.
Fewer than 200 workers missed that deadline, and they were given until Tuesday to comply.
Schools boards still required to vote monthly on face masks
The Republican-controlled state House of Representatives rejected a measure Wednesday that would have nixed a requirement for local school boards to hold monthly votes on their face mask rules.
The proposal failed with a 51-41 vote. All Democrats present and one Republican voted to drop the requirement, The News & Observer reported.
“The General Assembly enacted this masking vote policy nearly unanimously,” House Speaker Tim Moore tweeted Wednesday after the vote. “We’re maintaining that law. It’s important for parents to continue to have their say over policies that impact students’ educational experience.”
Mecklenburg fires 16 of its workers over COVID rules
Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, fired 16 government workers for noncompliance with coronavirus rules, officials said.
Earlier this month, more than 350 employees had been suspended for not following the county’s requirements, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Mecklenburg is requiring its workers to be vaccinated or show proof of a COVID-19 test each week.
Lawsuit filed over school district’s mask decision
Students and parents filed a lawsuit this week in hopes of changing a decision that makes face masks optional in one North Carolina school district.
The group in its complaint said changes “violate the plaintiffs’ constitutional guarantee to a safe education,” The Charlotte Observer reported. The Lincoln County Board of Education’s plan, passed in a 4-3 vote on Sept. 14, calls for dropping a face covering requirement and stopping some quarantines for students.
On Thursday, a North Carolina judge could decide whether the policy should be temporarily blocked, the Observer reported.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 7:06 AM.
