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WEDNESDAY MORNING TITLE
More than 63,000 people in North Carolina received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The state is also receiving about 100,000 more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week. These doses are still reserved for specific workers and there is still no specific date for when vaccines will be offered to the general public.
Governor Roy Cooper and other state health officials will update COVID-19 at 2 pm today. ABC11 will broadcast this update on television and online.
The IRS will begin sending the second round of stimulus checks to millions of Americans on Wednesday. Checks include $ 600 for eligible citizens and $ 600 for each dependent child.
Majority leader in the Republican Senate, Mitch McConnell, blocked two Democratic attempts to increase the value of these checks to $ 2,000. McConnell is trying to link these check increases to other items on the Republican wish list, such as the review of the 2020 presidential election and the repeal of protections for social media companies.
The new COVID-19 metrics in North Carolina are due to be released around midday on Wednesday. Yesterday’s metrics showed a steady increase in the number of people hospitalized with the virus.
TUESDAY
4 pm
Wake County Public Health confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 in Wellington Rehabilitation and Healthcare at 1000 Tandall Place in Knightdale.
This is the second outbreak confirmed at this facility. The previous outbreak occurred in April. No additional information about residents or employees within the facility will be disclosed.
2 PM
A Central Prison inmate with pre-existing medical conditions, who tested positive for COVID-19, died in a hospital, the Department of Public Security said.
“We sympathize with the criminal’s family, since losing a loved one is difficult, but especially during the holiday season,” said Todd Ishee, prison commissioner. “We continue to work diligently to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our prisons because the health and safety of employees and the offending population remains our priority.”
The criminal tested positive for COVID-19 on December 18 and was hospitalized the same day. His condition worsened and he died on December 24.
The criminal was a 70-year-old man with underlying health problems, the Department of Public Security said.
13:01
The Halifax County Department of Health reports 15 new cases for a total of 2,788 positive COVID cases.
There were ben 45 deaths in the municipality – 1.7% of COVID cases 19.
12:40 pm
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,563 new cases of COVID-19, in line with the last two days of notification, but less than in previous weeks. However, the state recorded only 18,846 new tests, a sharp drop from previous weeks, when the state was reporting at least twice that amount each day.
Consequently, the percentage of positive tests reached 13.5% on Sunday, almost three times the state benchmark of 5% or less. Hoke County has one of the highest percentages of positive tests in the state, with 17.9%.
Currently, 3,377 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state, the highest number reported so far in the pandemic. In the last 24 hours, 361 patients confirmed with COVID-19 were admitted to hospitals. In total, 761 adult patients with COVID-19 are in the ICU, the largest on record. Across the state, 397 ICU beds are currently available and more than 2,000 are in use.
11:11 am
The Lee County Government Health Department said it began administering the COVID-19 vaccine to frontline health care workers under phase 1a of the Carolina Department of Health and Human Services vaccine distribution plan. North (NCDHHS).
“The department received the county’s first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine on December 22,” said Heath Cain, LCG’s Director of Health. “We have a limited supply and have focused our initial efforts on administering the vaccine to frontline healthcare professionals who are at the greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19. The department continues to work closely with the NCDHHS, but we cannot predict how quickly we will get you through the various stages of the vaccine distribution plan, as we do not know when and how much vaccine we will receive. The department will share additional information on vaccine availability as soon as information becomes available. “
The county health department received a vaccine shipment. The vaccine delivered to the Lee County Health Department was manufactured by Moderna and will require a second injection after four weeks.
The vaccination distribution plan will take several months to complete; however, the public is reminded that, to help prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19, the public must continue to follow the three W’s – wear a mask; Wait six feet or more away from others to maintain a safe social distance; and wash your hands.
11am
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with the Central University of North Carolina Advanced Center for Disparities related to COVID-19 (NCCU ACCORD) to ensure that comprehensive COVID-19 information is effective in achieving needy communities in North Carolina. The partnership aims to help everyone make informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccines.
“As the pandemic continues to disproportionately affect historically marginalized communities, it is essential that we reach the most affected,” said NCDHHS Deputy Secretary of Health Services and co-leader of the Historically Marginalized Population Working Group, E. Benjamin Money , Jr., MPH. “With the partnership with ACCORD, we can better ensure the involvement of American Indian, African American and Latin American populations, as well as those without access to the Internet, to build confidence in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.”
NCDHHS and ACCORD have partnered on a joint survey to complement existing consumer research data in the state and support ongoing communication efforts. The data will help inform materials and outreach efforts to provide accurate and reliable information that aligns with the needs and concerns of different communities.
“As a two-way information exchange, this resource sharing platform will greatly benefit all North Carolina residents and help us better serve the state and its communities of color,” said Deepak Kumar, Ph.D., Director of Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI) and founder of the ACCORD program. “The partnership will support our efforts to serve as a resource for underserved communities through our network of community leaders and health partners.”
9:47
A COVID-19 drive-thru test event was scheduled from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Wednesday at Moore County Health Department, 705 Pinehurst Ave. in Carthage.
TUESDAY MORNING
Three new free COVID-19 test sites are open in Raleigh.
Marsh Creek Park, Roberts Park and Method Community Park are the three new locations that unite Departure Drive Building, Radeas Labs and Swinburne Parking Lot as drive-thru test sites.
Click here for more information about each location.
Health officials suggest that anyone returning from travel or vacation get tested three to five days after their last contact with people outside their bubble.
Testing at these drive-thru locations is completely free and usually returns results within 24-48 hours.
Meanwhile, another vaccine candidate COVID-19 is advancing. Novavax is now the fifth company to launch a large-scale test in the United States.
This vaccine is being mass produced in Morrisville at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies. Fujifilm created 85 new jobs in Morrisville this year, and the company said it plans to expand again in 2021.
Vaccines already authorized by the FDA are now being distributed to nursing homes and long-term care facilities in our state.
CVS and Walgreens started vaccinating residents and staff at these facilities on Monday.
Meanwhile, North Carolina is reporting more patients with COVID-19 in hospitals than ever before: 3,192. That figure includes a record 733 adults in intensive care.
Despite the impulse to increase the number of tests performed, the positivity rate continues to rise – reaching 14.7%, well above the state goal of less than 5%.
New COVID-19 metrics are set to be released around 12pm.
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