Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Dec. 5
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
NC health official warns of further action after record cases, hospitalizations
At least 388,552 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 5,516 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Saturday reported a record 6,018 new COVID-19 cases, up from 5,303 on Friday and 5,637 on Thursday. Thursday’s total had been the highest since the start of the pandemic, surpassing the previous daily record of 4,514 new cases reported on Nov. 22.
Forty-nine additional deaths were reported Saturday.
At least 2,171 people in North Carolina were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Saturday, 14 more patients than Friday’s previous all-time high and the fifth time the state reported more than 2,000 coronavirus patients during the pandemic.
About 10.7% of tests were reported positive as of Saturday, down from 11.2% on Wednesday, the latest previous day for which data are available. That’s above the 5% target set by health officials.
“I am asking each North Carolinian to take personal responsibility for their actions and slowing the spread of this virus,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, DHHS secretary, said in a statement Saturday,
‘In less than a week, we went from exceeding 5,000 new cases reported in one day to exceeding 6,000.,” Cohen said. “This is very worrisome. We are seeing our highest rates of tests that come back positive despite the fact we are doing a lot of testing. This indicates we have even more viral spread across our state right now.”
Noting the record number of hospitalizations and people in intensive care units, Cohen again urged everyone to always wear a mask when they’re with people they don’t live with. “Keep your distance from other people and wash your hands often,” she said, warning of further possible actions by the state.
Labor Department won’t issue safety rules for coronavirus
The N.C. Department of Labor won’t institute safety regulations to protect workers from COVID-19, Commissioner Cherie Berry said in a letter sent to advocacy groups on Nov. 9.
She said taking such action would be outside her departmental authority.
“While I am not dismissing the tragic deaths that have occurred as a result of this virus, statistically, the virus has not been proven likely to cause death or serious physical harm from the perspective of an occupational hazard,” Berry wrote.
Worker advocates told The News & Observer that Berry has a record of taking the “deregulatory approach” during her five consecutive terms as commissioner.
“She’s essentially saying, ‘I’m abandoning my mission to protect workers because I’m buying into myths and lies that COVID-19 is not serious and we really don’t know that much about it.’ And that’s just not true,” said Debbie Berkowitz, director of the Worker Safety and Health program at the National Employment Law Project and former chief of staff at the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “This is really a dereliction of duty.”
Berry will retire in January. Josh Dobson, who like Berry is a Republican, will replace her.
Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday he hopes the Labor Department will “be more proactive under Dobson.”
“We’ve provided a lot of guidance to businesses on how to protect their employees and their customers. And many North Carolina businesses have followed that guidance and even have done more, but there are always some that don’t,” he said while touring a PPE manufacturing plant in Pittsboro. “I look forward to talking with incoming Commissioner Dobson about things that we might be able to do.”
3 popular Charlotte eatery-pubs close after positive COVID-19 tests
Three popular Charlotte restaurant-pubs closed temporarily Friday after employees tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The Gin Mill South End on South Tryon Street closed temporarily after two employees tested positive, management posted on Facebook.
A worker at Thomas Street Tavern tested positive on Friday, prompting the establishment to close until all employees can be tested and the site thoroughly cleaned, management posted on social media Saturday.
And The Workman’s Friend on Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood closed after one employee tested positive, the Irish restaurant and pub posted on Facebook.
From restaurants to breweries, many other Charlotte gathering spots have closed temporarily at times during the pandemic after employees tested positive for the disease.
On Thursday, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery on Yancey Road in Charlotte temporarily closed its restaurant after an employee reported testing positive for COVID-19.
Hornets guard tests positive for COVID-19
Malik Monk, guard for the Hornets basketball team in Charlotte, has tested positive for the coronavirus, Hornets coach James Borrego announced Friday.
He is asymptomatic but expected to be out of training camp for several days, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“He’ll probably be out a few more days,” Borrego said during a media conference call. “Unfortunately, he’s been out the last few days. Look forward to getting him back soon. We’re following all the protocols, and making sure he’s healthy, No. 1, but he is asymptomatic.”
A source had confirmed Wednesday that a Hornets player was one of 48 NBA players who tested positive during screening.
Tool shows possible wait for vaccine in NC
A new online tool by The New York Times and public health experts uses age, county of residence, profession and underlying health conditions to determine how many people are ahead of you to get the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine.
The Times was careful to note the results are just one possibility, and the amount of time for distribution “is also an open question.”
Health officials in North Carolina have said the first 85,000 doses will go to health care workers and staff, followed by residents and staff at long-term care facilities. Children, however, likely won’t be included in the initial slate of vaccinations until more trials are completed.
Cooper, who is 63 and lives in Wake County, is behind about 8.5 million people in line for the coronavirus vaccine — putting him at the back of the line, according to the tool.
A 33-year-old health care worker with no underlying health conditions living in Durham County, meanwhile, is behind “very few” other people in both the state and the county to get the vaccine.
Virus surges in rural North Carolina
Nash County, east of Raleigh, has experienced the greatest percentage increase in coronavirus-related deaths since Oct. 1. Its death toll is the fourth largest, behind some of the state’s larger metropolitan counties like Gaston, Mecklenburg and Guilford.
“That’s the easy part, to do the numbers,” Bill Hill, who has been the Nash County health director for 42 years, told The N&O. “It’s really hard to accept these deaths and cases, and some are much worse than others.”
Nash is one of several rural counties in North Carolina where case counts have surged in recent weeks after all but missing the first wave that came crashing through the state over the summer.
Madison County on the Tennessee border has quadrupled its coronavirus cases over the last two months. It has tripled in Mitchell and Alexander, and cases in at least 29 mostly rural counties “have at least doubled from what they were in early October,” The N&O reported.
Avery County in Western North Carolina was the last county to report a COVID-19 case in May. Now it has the highest case rate in the the state, The N&O reported.
Part of the problem is attributed to people failing to follow public health guidelines, like wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.
“There’s a little bit of, ‘You’re not going to make me wear a mask’ kind of mentality, I think,” said Bob Davis, one of the restaurant owners in Nash County.
Judge asks for help with NC prison management during COVID-19
A North Carolina judge on Friday appointed an outside person to help with prison management as the coronavirus continues its spread.
Wake County Superior Court Judge Vince Rozier made the decision after civil rights groups asked for oversight. The judge appointed Thomas K. Maher, a Duke University administrator, The N&O reported.
The state on Monday said it began tests every two weeks for people who work at prisons with ongoing or recent outbreaks. During the pandemic, COVID-19 cases have forced some facilities to close or move inmates to other prisons.
The news comes as the Mecklenburg County jail has reported its highest-ever spike in coronavirus cases.
Infections at the Charlotte-area jail have gone up since Nov. 18, when no one was reported sick. There were 65 cases as of Thursday, officials say.
The surge came after officials say staffers worked without “knowing that they themselves were contagious with the virus.” At least 255 inmates were put in quarantine, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
State GOP schedules in-person events, meetings despite COVID-19
The N.C. Republican Party is planning five face-to-face events during the holiday season, including two meetings, two dinners and a lunch.
The plans come as daily coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are on the rise across the state. Tim Wigginton, a spokesperson for the GOP, said steps to protect against the coronavirus will be encouraged at the events.
While the meetings have a virtual option, Wigginton on Thursday said he was still waiting on attendee numbers, The N&O reported.
The events are being held in venues that have stricter indoor capacity restrictions than restaurants, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. One of the venues is in Surry County, which is in the highest tier on the statewide coronavirus alert map.
Wake schools report new cases; Durham schools lose students
The Wake County school district reported dozens of new coronavirus cases in the past week.
Officials on Thursday said the 68 cases were spread across 49 schools. Thirty-one of those infected were students, The N&O reported.
“We’ve had an increasing number of students coming in each week as well as just an increasing number of contacts between people,” district spokesman Tim Simmons said Tuesday at a school board meeting. “You don’t want to see increasing cases, but it’s to be expected.”
Wake is the state’s largest school district, with 157,000 students and nearly 200 schools. Health officials have said it’s reasonable for the school system to expect one new COVID-19 case per school each week, according to The N&O.
The news comes as Durham Public Schools saw its enrollment for the beginning of the school year drop compared to 2019. Though some of the decline is due to students attending charter schools, parents also have opted to keep their kindergartners at home for another year or start home schooling, according to Chip Sudderth, a district spokesperson.
“DPS enrollment decline was unexpected but understandable considering the toll that COVID has taken on our community,” Sudderth said.
This story was originally published December 5, 2020 at 10:25 AM.
