NC reports 100-plus daily COVID deaths for the fifth time this month
North Carolina reported 108 new COVID-19 deaths on Friday, the fifth time this month the state has reported a daily increase in deaths of 100 or more.
On Jan. 7, 8 and 10, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported 137, 115 and 142 deaths respectively.
On Wednesday, the state reported 107 deaths.
Over the last week, the state has reported an average of 86 deaths per day.
At the turn of the new year, that average was 50. A month ago it was 39.
As of Friday, 7,933 North Carolinians have died over the entire pandemic.
The spike in deaths comes after the state reported three consecutive days 10,000 or more new cases late last week.
On Friday, DHHS reported 8,914 new COVID-19 cases, the seventh highest daily increase of the pandemic. On Thursday, the state reported a case increase of 9,853, the fourth highest.
Over the last week, DHHS has reported an average of over 8,100 new cases per day.
NC hospitalizations decline but remain high
COVID-19 hospitalizations decreased to 3,916, down from 3,990 on Thursday.
But it was still the sixth highest of the pandemic, and the overall trend of hospitalizations has increased over the last month.
A month ago hospitalizations were at 2,735.
About 86% of available intensive care unit beds statewide are now in use, and 78% of available inpatient beds are filled.
At the beginning of the month, 83% of ICU beds and 74% of inpatient beds were in use. At the beginning of December, those percentages were at 79% and 70% respectively.
Among the tests reported by DHHS on Wednesday, the latest day with data available, 11.2% of tests returned positive. That rate has steadily decreased from a pandemic high of 17.1% on Jan. 4 though it’s still over double the 5% or lower that state health officials want.
Case and hospitalization data reported by DHHS is preliminary and subject to change upon further investigation.
Vaccinations in Wake County
Those eligible for vaccination in Wake County can enter a waitlist for a dose starting Tuesday.
To get on the list, those seeking a vaccine can call 919-250-1515 starting 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19. The phone line will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This will not be an appointment line, but instead will screen eligibility for the vaccine.
Callers will be asked their age, whether they are a healthcare worker, whether they have an established primary care provider and their contact information.
Callers will then be added to the waitlist and will be contacted when they can make an appointment to receive a vaccine dose.
This process can be done online at wakegov.com/vaccine starting Tuesday morning as well.
North Carolina updated its vaccine distribution plan on Thursday. The state will now offer the vaccine to those 65 and older and all health care workers. The previous plan restricted the vaccine to those 75 and older and health care workers treating COVID-19 patients.
Firefighters who are also emergency medical technicians are a part of the next group of those eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. So far, 39% of eligible firefighters in Wake County have signed up for the vaccine, The N&O reported.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 11:38 AM with the headline "NC reports 100-plus daily COVID deaths for the fifth time this month."