Coronavirus omicron updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 11
Click here for updates for Jan. 12.
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Almost 4,000 hospitalized
At least 1,905,265 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 19,706 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, Jan. 11, reported 17,705 new COVID-19 cases, down from 18,254 the day before. Another 21 coronavirus-related deaths were reported Jan. 11.
At least 3,991 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Jan. 10, up from 3,841 the day before. That passes the previous record of 3,990 hospitalizations reported in January 2021.
As of Jan. 9, the latest date with available information, 30.5% 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 2.6 million “additional/booster” doses have been administered in North Carolina as of Jan. 11, 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.
About 99% of all new COVID-19 cases in the Southeast were attributed to the omicron variant as of Jan. 8, the latest date for which data is available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
New testing site to open in Triangle as Wake sees growing demand
A new COVID-19 testing site is planned as Wake County sees growing demand for the service.
Starting Jan. 12, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and Mako Medical is offering testing at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Cary facility will run 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and won’t require appointments, officials said.
Those interested in getting tests will have to sign up online, The News & Observer reported.
The state health department has started at least four mass testing locations in Wake County since the omicron coronavirus variant started to spread.
At Wake County’s testing sites, data shows the number of appointments doubled from Dec. 21 to Dec. 28, when the total was more than 14,000. In early 2022, over 13,000 appointments have been booked each day.
NC hospitals seeing shortage of COVID treatment
As the omicron coronavirus variant looms, North Carolina hospitals are short on a treatment given to COVID-19 patients.
Doctors said two monoclonal antibody therapies aren’t effective against the variant, leaving them with a treatment called sotrovimab. The drug is in limited supply, so medical providers have been forced to reserve them for those who may get seriously sick.
“Before, we were giving monoclonals to a wide range of patients that we know would benefit from them based on the science,” said Dr. David Kirk of WakeMed, according to The News & Observer. “Now because the monoclonals are so limited, we’re just giving it to the highest of the high risk.”
NC school district limits sports fans, revises face mask rules
A North Carolina school will temporarily require universal face mask wearing and prohibit talking at lunch as the coronavirus continues to spread.
In addition to those changes, the Orange County school board also approved limiting fans at sporting events and changing quarantine requirements. Teachers will be required to get COVID-19 booster shots once they are required for state workers, The News & Observer reported.
“I do believe, as y’all have said and as our medical experts presented tonight, that this will be short-lived, that we can get past this peak and prevent overburdening our health care system and our contact tracers and staff, and that hopefully by early February be able to ease” the rules, said Carrie Doyle, chair of the board.
COVID postpones Hurricanes game, changes college basketball schedules
A Carolina Hurricanes game scheduled for Jan. 11 is postponed due to the coronavirus, the NHL said.
The Canes had been scheduled to play the Philadelphia Flyers, but that team is facing “COVID-related issues,” officials said. The team has faced several postponements this season, including five away games.
Meanwhile, the pandemic is also shaking up Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill men’s basketball schedules.
The changes mean the two teams will be busier before they face off in their next rivalry game on Feb. 5, The News & Observer reported.
With the new schedule, Duke ends January with four games within a 10-day period. They include a game at Notre Dame that had been moved due to a coronavirus outbreak within the Blue Devils program.
UNC will play five times in 11 days, including a game against Virginia Tech that had to be rescheduled due to the coronavirus.
Some teens got wrong dose of Pfizer booster
A few dozen teenagers may have been given the incorrect dosage of a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot during a vaccination clinic at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, officials said.
The Orange County Health Department said they are expected to meet with a representative from StarMed, which administered the shots, on Tuesday, Jan. 11. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services also is investigating, The News & Observer reported.
The incident stems from a parent in Chapel Hill, Jocelyn Neal, who said her 14-year-old son and her 12-year-old daughter both received pediatric doses on Jan. 6 The pediatric dosage of 10 micrograms for the booster shot is designed for immunocompromised children ages 5 to 11, according to federal guidelines.
Neal said she went back to the clinic later that day to talk with the manager, who reportedly agreed with the staff member who had administered the pediatric dosage.
“I’m frustrated and upset as a parent that I brought this to the attention that night of two people, and they both just insisted” it was correct, Neal said.
A representative from StarMed later contacted Neal and confirmed other children had received the wrong dose.
Application window closing for rent, utility assistance
Applications for pandemic-related rental and utility assistance in Wake County will stop being accepted after Jan. 21.
About 3,900 households have benefited from the $101 million program, which is called House Wake, The News & Observer reported.
“The assistance this program has been able to provide to thousands facing an eviction or utility cutoff is incredible, but unfortunately cannot last forever. We need to embrace the reality of the program ending,” said Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson in a news release.
Wake County and the city of Raleigh tried to apply for more funding from the federal government but were denied, prompting officials to issue a Jan. 21 cutoff date to ensure there is enough money to help applicants through April 30.
Booster shot not needed for Wake students facing quarantine
Wake County Schools won’t require students to have a COVID-19 booster shot to avoid having to quarantine if they’re exposed to the virus.
According to the updated health guidelines released over the weekend, the school system won’t require students ages 5 to 17 who have received the first two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to quarantine if they’re exposed — regardless of whether or not they received a booster shot. Those vaccinated students must, however, show that they aren’t experiencing any coronavirus symptoms to meet the requirement.
The revisions come after the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services updated its COVID-19 guidelines for public schools in the state on Friday, Jan. 7, which public health officials said are in line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Meanwhile the district, which is the largest in the state, could make changes to some school bus routes if the number of drivers out with COVID-19 increases. Since last week, thousands of families have had to make other transportation plans due to a driver shortage, The News & Observer reported.
Charlotte schools hit hard as omicron surges
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have been hit hard by the omicron variant with a high number of employees in COVID-19 quarantines.
Close to 2,000 students and 689 staff were out of school due to quarantine measures between Jan. 3 and 9, The Charlotte Observer reported. About 1,249 students and 615 staff tested positive for the coronavirus during the same time frame.
Teachers say it’s disrupting their classrooms.
“I have had to take on additional duties because of absent teachers,” a high school teacher told The Observer. “We are asked to cover classes pretty much everyday. With so many out they are now mostly dispersing students to other classrooms. So in a class of 25, I would have an additional 10 students who are not mine in the room, bringing my total to 35 students.”
Patrick Smith, the CMS assistant superintendent of communications, said the high number of teacher absences “is not unique to CMS.”
“Almost every district here and throughout the country had a staffing shortage before the omicron surge,” he said. “We’ve had vacancies across departments since before school started, and have been short of substitutes the whole year.”
COVID infections break records in Mecklenburg
Metrics measuring the spread of the coronavirus in Mecklenburg County have surged to record highs compared to the same time last year.
The latest record high of new daily cases in Mecklenburg was 3,494 cases on Dec. 28 — more than double the previous record of 1,461 cases on Jan. 4, 2020, The Charlotte Observer reported, citing data from the state Department of Health and Human Services.
During the surge, people are urged to wear KN95 or N95 masks to help protect themselves.
About one-third of Mecklenburg residents getting tested for COVID-19 in the first week of January were positive, the highest average weekly positivity rate. The previous record was a high of 16% last January. Hospitalizations have also climbed alongside the spike in cases, according to The Observer.
But Novant Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest said omicron appears to cause fewer hospitalizations than the delta variant.
“That’s the only saving grace right now,” he said. “If omicron put people in the hospital like delta did, the health care system would have collapsed in our country by now.”
Are Charlotte workers returning to the office?
While several people in the Charlotte area have the option to work from offices, many have chosen to stay home as the coronavirus continues its spread, a new survey finds.
The Charlotte Observer found those preferences after 571 people responded to an informal survey. Though many of them worked in banking or finance, their jobs were spread across different industries.
In the survey, 43% said they had a choice of going back into the office. Another 31% reported that their employers were doing remote work, and 26% were required to return to in-person work, results published Jan. 10 show.
This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 7:11 AM.
