Coronavirus updates for March 30: Here’s what to know in North Carolina this week
We’re tracking information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back every Wednesday for updates.
More than 2,700 cases reported in past week
At least 2,733 new coronavirus cases were reported in North Carolina last week, down from 2,919 the week before, according to preliminary data from state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services also reported 319 new weekly hospital admissions, down from 401 the week before, according to data through March 26, the most recent metrics available.
The figures were released Wednesday, March 30, the second week that health officials have adjusted information shared on their coronavirus dashboard and published weekly COVID-19 data. The data had been released almost every day.
Roughly 76% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 72% are fully vaccinated. Of the state’s total population, about 62% are fully vaccinated and about 66% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
More than 3.2 million ”additional/booster” doses have been administered in North Carolina as of March 30, 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.
Across the state, virtually all new COVID-19 cases were attributed to the omicron variant and its related “lineages” as of March 19, the latest date for which data is available.
NC medical workers search for ways to treat long COVID patients
Medical workers in North Carolina are considering ways to treat patients with long-haul COVID, symptoms that can last more than a month after someone tests positive.
Experts have seen patients with headaches, “brain fog” and other symptoms, which sometimes require people to go to multiple doctors and seek treatment for months, The News & Observer reported on March 30.
The fatigue that patients experience means treatment has to be approached differently. Courtney Matrunick of the UNC Department of Allied Health Sciences said physical therapy involves pushing patients to work harder, but that’s not the case with long COVID.
“It’s much more driven by, ‘We need to find ways to protect your energy. We need to find ways to give you rests during the day,’” said Matrunick, a physical therapist.
Staffing shortages at nursing homes as COVID impacts liability
As the coronavirus hit North Carolina nursing homes hard, some workers got sick or left their jobs to avoid putting their families at risk.
COVID-19 made the facilities’ staffing shortage worse, making it possible that residents don’t get the care they need, studies show.
Early in the pandemic, federal and state officials temporarily suspended routine nursing home inspections. In May 2020, Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law a bill that “protects health care providers from liability for decisions or activities ‘directly or indirectly’ related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” The Charlotte Observer reported March 28.
“The law is there because it’s needed to give the health care community some grace and breathing room during these unusual times,” said Christopher G. Smith, who represents a nursing home in one case. “... We don’t want nurses to have to meet with lawyers during the plague when we need them to deliver health care.”
Some families have said it has become difficult for families to hold nursing homes responsible for issues that aren’t tied to COVID-19.
“It protects the bottom lines of the nursing homes,” said Elizabeth Todd, a Charlotte attorney. “When there’s no way to hold these facilities accountable, there’s no way to encourage them to give better care.”
Triangle district to begin making face masks ‘recommended’
Durham Public Schools will keep an indoor face mask mandate until April 11.
That’s when masking will become “recommended” for teachers and students, The News & Observer reported March 24.
At the time that Durham school board members voted 4-2 in favor of continuing the mandate, the district was one of two in the state that hadn’t lifted its face covering requirement. Several districts have revised their policies since Gov. Roy Cooper in February urged districts to ease their mask rules.
The school system originally considered lifting the mandate on April 4, but officials wanted to review the post-spring break coronavirus metrics. The board could weigh mask rules again when it meets April 7.
Pandemic blamed in part for rise in NC overdose deaths
Overdose deaths rose in North Carolina in 2020, and the coronavirus pandemic could have played a role, one health official said.
The state reported 3,304 drug overdoses that year, up from 2,352 in 2019. The increase has been blamed in part on the pandemic, which was first reported in the state in March 2020, The News & Observer reported March 24.
“Stress, loss of housing and loss of employment for those in recovery caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a backslide in our fight against substance use disorders,” Kody Kinsley, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said in a news release.
