Coronavirus omicron updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Feb. 12
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
85 additional deaths reported
At least 2,525,734 coronavirus cases have been reported in North Carolina, and at least 21,665 people have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday, Feb. 11, reported 7,539 new COVID-19 cases, down from 8,725 the day before. An additional 85 coronavirus-related deaths were added.
At least 3,556 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Feb. 11, including 655 adults being treated in intensive care units. The total patient count was down from 3,699 the previous day, according to state health officials.
As of Feb. 9, the latest date with available information, 15.4% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 75% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 71% are fully vaccinated. Of the state’s total population, about 61% are fully vaccinated and about 65% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
More than 3 million ”additional/booster” doses have been administered in North Carolina as of Feb. 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 96% of new COVID-19 cases in the nation were attributed to the omicron variant while others were attributed to a subvariant as of Feb. 5, the latest date for which data is available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
QAnon-supported strategy targets school mask mandates
A legal strategy touted by QAnon to force the end of face mask mandates in schools is being used by some parents in North Carolina.
It’s called “Bonds For the Win,” and its website instructs parents to threaten to file “surety bond claims” against school board members and superintendents if they don’t drop the requirements. The strategy has been used in Catawba, Iredell, Johnston and Wake counties, The News & Observer reported.
School board members in North Carolina don’t have surety bonds that hold them accountable for their actions, so “Bonds For the Win” recommends parents file a claim against the school district’s liability insurance coverage instead.
Kelly Shaw, a political science professor at Iowa State University, said it’s a “largely unproven” approach to changing public policy.
“This kind of smacks to me of a desperate attempt to get one’s way through intimidation, and this typically doesn’t work in our political system,” Shaw told The N&O.
Proposed legislation would let parents opt out of face masks
Republicans in the N.C. House of Representatives plan to introduce legislation that would do away with face mask mandates in schools, Speaker Tim Moore said.
Local school districts were previously given control to decide whether to implement face mask requirements, The News & Observer reported. While most follow recommendations from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, which advise students and teachers wear masks indoors, at least 36 school districts have dropped the requirement.
The House plans to introduce the legislation after it finishes redistricting.
Moore said legislators want “to give parents the ability to opt-out of [the] mask requirement.”
Why are NC cities in spotlight over mask decisions?
As governors in some states are easing face mask rules, the focus in North Carolina is instead on individual cities.
Last summer, the state started shifting to having coronavirus-related decisions made at the local level. There hasn’t been a statewide mask requirement for months, and individual school boards must make them for their districts.
“We understand that this virus is going to be with us for a long time, but we need to make sure that we can lead normal lives and live with it, protect ourselves and try to reduce people getting sick and dying from this virus,” Gov. Roy Cooper said, according to The News & Observer.
Officials alarmed by COVID cases in NC mountains
Health officials are concerned by the high number of COVID-19 cases in some N.C. mountain counties, despite fewer residents contracting the virus, WLOS reported.
“We still have several outbreaks in our county,” Madison County Health Director Tammy Cody told the station. “We still have high numbers of folks who are positive. We have a high number of folks who are still hospitalized.”
Madison and Graham counties have reported more than 2,100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, the highest rates in the state.
County offers parents free COVID-19 info sessions
Mecklenburg County health officials began offering free weekly online COVID-19 information sessions for parents this week.
The half-hour sessions on Zoom will continue at noon Feb. 24, March 10 and March 24, according to a post on the county’s website.
.Officials titled the series, “Myths and Facts about Children and COVID-19 Vaccination.”
Sessions will be recorded and posted on the county’s COVID-19 Information for Parents and Caregivers page.
For up-to-date information, visit mecknc.gov/covid-19 or call the county’s COVID-19 hotline at 980-314-9400, option 3.
Mountain county to vote on mask mandate
As the COVID positivity rate falls in the county, Buncombe commissioners are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to keep or lift the county’s mask mandate.
Health officials haven’t decided either way, county Public Health Director Stacie Saunders told WLOS.
Buncombe’s COVID-19 positive rate of 19.6% represents a considerable drop from 24.1% last week, according to the station. COVID deaths also have declined, WLOS reported, citing state Department of Health and Human Services figures.
“All of our indicators are decreasing,” Saunders said. “These are all encouraging signs.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 8:23 AM.
