Coronavirus omicron updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 6
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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 24,000 new cases reported
At least 1,787,906 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 19,586 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday, Jan. 6, reported 24,292 new COVID-19 cases, up from 20,770 the day before.
Another 44 coronavirus-related deaths were reported on Jan. 6. Health officials don’t specify the dates on which newly reported deaths occurred.
At least 3,293 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Jan. 6, up from 3,099 the day before, health officials said.
As of Jan. 4, the latest date with available information, 30.1% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 74% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 70% have been fully vaccinated. Of the state’s total population, about 59% are fully vaccinated and 63% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
More than 2.5 million “additional/booster” doses have been administered in North Carolina as of Jan. 5, the health department said. Health officials have urged those who are eligible to get boosted, as data suggests it offers increased protection against the omicron coronavirus variant.
Panthers place more players on COVID reserve list
A cornerback, wide receiver and defensive end for the Carolina Panthers have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of the team’s final game of the 2021 season.
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore, wide receiver Shi Smith and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos were added to the list on Wednesday, Jan. 5, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Defensive tackle Phil Hoskins remains on the list from last week.
COVID surge causes shortage of over-the-counter medicine
Some stores in the Charlotte area have limited stock of NyQuil, Sudafed and Tylenol amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
“We have seen significant demand for cough, cold and flu medicines,” a national Walmart spokesperson told The Charlotte Observer. “We’ve been able to keep fairly good inventory levels but are working closely with our supplier to meet this demand and get the needed product to our customers.”
Cold and flu symptoms are similar to that of the coronavirus, and at-home COVID-19 tests are in short supply, making it difficult for some people to know which they have, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Retailers didn’t say when they’ll be able to restock the popular over-the-counter medicines.
NC eases school COVID quarantine rules
The Department of Health and Human Services has shortened the quarantine requirement for students exposed to COVID-19 or who test positive for the virus.
The State Board of Education voted to approve the changes during a meeting on Thursday, Jan. 6, The News & Observer reported. Under the new rules, people who test positive need to isolate for five days and wear a face mask for five additional days afterward, which aligns with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Unvaccinated individuals exposed to someone who tests positive will need to quarantine for five days, but those who are fully vaccinated do not.
In school districts that require face masks, students who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated and are exposed to the coronavirus can stay in school as long as they don’t test positive for it.
Hospitals urge people not to come to ER for COVID testing
The Triangle’s three hospital systems are urging people not to show up in the emergency department seeking a COVID-19 test as they grapple with overcrowding.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chris DeRienzo with WakeMed said about 40% of patients in the emergency department as of late have needed help with COVID-19 or related respiratory problems, while about 5% of all visitors just wanted a coronavirus test.
“Our big ask for the community is, if that’s not what you need right now, then there are many other places where you can seek care,” DeRienzo said.
Individuals who are not experiencing significant symptoms can get tested at urgent care centers, testing clinics or pharmacies, The News & Observer reported.
NC doctors consider future of COVID
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, North Carolina doctors are considering the future of COVID-19.
While it’s not likely that COVID-19 will completely disappear, medical experts think it could become endemic. In that phase, the virus’s spread could be more predictable and hospitalizations and deaths could be lower, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“There will be no avoiding this virus,” said Dr. David Priest, an infectious disease expert at Novant Health. “As it becomes endemic, everyone will eventually have antibodies in their system to it — through either getting infected or getting vaccinated against it.”
The omicron coronavirus variant could be a step toward the virus becoming endemic, and the best step people can take now is to get their COVID-19 vaccines, doctors said.
COVID-related staffing shortages shorten Mecklenburg liquor store hours
Charlotte-area liquor stores plan to shorten their hours as the coronavirus pandemic brings labor shortages.
The 29 Mecklenburg County locations will now be open between 12:30 and 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, the local Alcoholic Beverage Control Board said in a news release.
The change starts Jan. 10 and will be in place “until further notice,” The Charlotte Observer reported.
With hospitalizations rising, fewer patients are in ICUs
COVID-related hospitalizations have risen in North Carolina, but fewer people are needing intensive care as the omicron coronavirus variant spreads.
The portion of patients needing ventilators is also down to 13%, compared to 24% in October, The News & Observer reported.
“We are seeing less acuity, less severity, even among the people who do end up hospitalized,” said Dr. David Wohl of UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill. “This is the silver lining of omicron. It’s spreading widely; many people are getting infected, but mildly to moderately.”
Hospitals have been testing people for COVID-19 on a routine basis, and more patients are now being diagnosed without having symptoms.
“When the community prevalence gets so high, and in particular with this variant that is less severe, people do come in with heart attacks and strokes and trauma and are found to be positive,” said Dr. Lisa Pickett of Duke University Hospital.
Wake to keep requiring face masks in schools
The largest school district in North Carolina will continue to have a face mask mandate as some parents share concerns about students’ mental health.
The Wake County School Board cited a rise in COVID-19 cases this week when it voted to have the mask rule continue. Health officials have urged people to wear face coverings inside schools during the coronavirus pandemic.
Though several people wrote comments supporting the rule, speakers at a recent Wake school board meeting tried to link the mandate to some students’ mental health, The News & Observer reported.
“Understand this: Each and every one of you is complicit in the deterioration of our schoolchildren’s mental health and well-being and downfall of their academic success,” Colleen Fleming told the board on Jan. 4.
Chris Heagarty, vice chairman of the school board, countered accusations from those opposed to the mandate.
“It’s being implied though that somehow masks are the problem and that this national state of emergency in mental health is linked to our mask policies,” Heagarty said. “And it’s not.”
Rev. Barber tests positive for COVID
The Rev. William J. Barber said he has mild symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19.
Barber, who led Moral Monday demonstrations in North Carolina, reportedly plans to stay in isolation and inform his close contacts.
“I want to express my gratitude for the vaccines and booster shots that prepared my body to fight the virus, and I encourage anyone who has not received a vaccine or booster, if they are eligible, to do so as soon as possible,” Barber said in a news release, according to The News & Observer.
StarMed closes testing site where worker was threatened
StarMed closed its COVID-19 testing location on South Boulevard near Arrowood Road after a man threatened a worker with two dogs and a shotgun on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
No one was hurt, The Charlotte Observer reported, but National Guard members from StarMed’s west Charlotte location were moved to South Boulevard after the incident. Operations at the testing site returned to normal for a few hours before StarMed closed the line just before 1:30 p.m.
StarMed CEO Mike Estramonte said he thinks the incident stemmed from frustrations over long testing lines.
Why it’s harder for schools to switch to remote instruction
State law prevents school districts in North Carolina from switching to remote instruction even as new COVID-19 cases hit record levels.
Under Senate Bill 654, which passed in August, schools and individual classes can only switch if the number of exposures leads to not having enough staff or too many students quarantined, The News & Observer reported. Even then, in-person learning must return as soon as there’s enough staff or students are finished quarantining.
Schools that move to remote instruction must tell the Department of Public Instruction within 72 hours. DPI told The N&O that no schools have reported such a shift.
DPI spokesperson Blair Rhoades said school districts still have the option of going fully remote. But Rick Su, a UNC Law School professor, said the law has created a higher bar for them.
“It severely hampers going remote unless there are these specific conditions,” Su said in an interview. “A general concern about escalating case counts is not one of those conditions.”
What to do if you test positive for COVID
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued new guidelines for individuals infected with or exposed to COVID-19.
Anyone who has presumed or confirmed COVID-19 is instructed to isolate for five days under the new rules, The News & Observer reported. “Day zero” is considered either the first day you experience symptoms or the day you tested positive.
The isolation period will start over for people who test positive and are asymptomatic but later develop symptoms. “Day Zero” then becomes the first day you show symptoms and “day one” is the first full day after the symptoms appear.
Individuals exposed to someone who tests positive for the coronavirus will need to quarantine if they are over 18 and have not received a booster shot or are completely unvaccinated.
In North Carolina, experts have urged people to get COVID-19 tests if they have symptoms or just before gathering with others. But Dr. David Wohl, an infectious diseases expert at UNC Health, said getting tested at other times may not be helpful if you take risks right after testing negative.
“A negative test tells you only that during the few seconds the swab was in your nose there was either no virus or not enough virus there to turn the test positive,” Wohl said, according to The News & Observer.
Triangle housing costs continue to rise during pandemic
Triangle home prices and rents were on the rise before the coronavirus pandemic and continue to get higher.
The median sales price in local counties was $369,000 in November. That’s up from $279,900 in November 2019 and $269,900 the prior year, data show.
Rents have also gone up, including for Cary resident Marcia Cloud who said the pandemic led her to earn less money at work. Also in Cary, Erika White said she’s spending more than half her income on rent.
“There isn’t really much of an option around here,” White said, according to The News & Observer.
Report suggests Mecklenburg jail lower number of inmates
A North Carolina state inspection of the Mecklenburg County jail found “significant safety concerns around staffing shortages,” including those linked to coronavirus outbreaks that have left dozens of workers sick.
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said it’s working to reduce its number of inmates and plans to address topics mentioned in the state report, such as transfers and early release. While some Charlotte-area jails have room for additional people, several have limited staffing.
The inspection found the jail couldn’t safely have an emergency evacuation or control a violent incident fast enough, The Charlotte Observer reported on Jan. 3.
“Our staff has worked through the COVID-19 Pandemic since the beginning of 2020,” Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a news release. “They are fatigued, coping with loss due to the virus or battling the virus themselves while still fulfilling their duties at MCSO. We must take all of these factors into account, but we will not cease in our efforts to adequately operate our detention facility.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 7:10 AM.
