Have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine? Send them to us here
1:20 pm
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that 109,799 people have received the first dose of the vaccine so far in the state.
This number can be underreported because there can be a delay of up to 72 hours in the reports.
This figure also does not include the 165,990 doses that have been allocated to long-term care institutions. On January 4, CVS and Walgreens reported to NCDHHS that there were 13,338 doses administered through the federal program for long-term care institutions in NC.
1:15 pm
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina continues to increase.
On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that there were 3,781 people in the hospital with the virus. That is 146 as of Monday and a record so far in the pandemic.
382 confirmed COVID-19 patients were admitted in the last 24 hours.
The percentage of positive tests is 16.2%, well above the state goal of 5%.
A total of 5,285 new cases were reported on Tuesday.
Another 55 deaths were also reported. This raises the number in the state to 6,996 since the pandemic began.
1:05 pm
Governor Roy Cooper is mobilizing the National Guard to assist with North Carolina’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Ensuring that COVID-19 vaccines are administered quickly is our top priority at the moment. We will use all the necessary resources and personnel. I mobilized the NC National Guard to provide support to local health care providers as we continue to increase the rate of vaccinations. – RC
– Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) January 5, 2021
Cooper tweeted that rapid vaccine administration is the state’s top priority. He said the use of the National Guard will help local health providers to increase the rate of vaccinations.
That message comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the state had one of the worst vaccination rates in the country.
1 pm
The first recipients of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine began receiving their second dose on Tuesday at the UNC Medical Center.
The hospital said it had vaccinated 14,000 employees since the vaccine became available weeks ago. These employees are now receiving the follow-up dose, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
UNC Health said UNC REX employees in Raleigh will begin receiving their second doses on Thursday.
10:50
For the second time, Cypress of Raleigh has a confirmed outbreak of COVID-19.
The Cypress of Raleigh is a retirement community and nursing center located in North Raleigh.
The facility had its first outbreak in August. The state defines an outbreak as two or more confirmed cases in a congregated environment.
According to NCDHHS rules, the facility must now return to previous restrictions and not allow visitors for 28 days.
Specifics about the number of confirmed cases in the unit or whether these cases are among employees or residents have not been disclosed.
LINES OF TUESDAY STORIES
Seniors at a community center in Raleigh will receive potentially life-saving vaccines on Tuesday.
The community of elderly cardinals in North Hills will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for approximately 300 employees and residents. The group is among those at risk and is part of the demographic group eligible for the initial stages of the vaccine implantation plan in the state.
SEE ALSO: North Carolina among the 7 states with the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate, says the CDC
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said some areas could move to Phase 1B in the vaccine distribution plan. This phase includes adults aged 75 and over and essential frontline workers.
This happens while some health professionals in Phase 1A have not yet received the vaccine.
All of this happens when state and federal authorities admit that the vaccine’s implantation was not as smooth as they expected.
“There were some flaws. This is understandable,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci. “We are not where we want to be, there is no doubt about that.”
There are still no specific dates on when the next phases of vaccine implantation will begin or any procedure you can apply to be notified when it is your turn.
Health officials say it is important to be patient. The NCDHHS is directing people to this website for more information on the stages of the vaccine.
MONDAY
10 pm
In an effort to increase the distribution of vaccinations, the Cumberland County Department of Public Health is suspending its test sites immediately, according to a press release on Monday.
Since December 18, the department has offered free COVID-19 tests twice a week at the Maná Church and the Second Missionary Baptist Church.
Dr. Jennifer Green, director of the health department, told Michael Lozano of ABC11 that it was a decision they did not take lightly, saying, “We wanted to make sure that there was staffing or testing capability in our community. , once we feel comfortable, we feel comfortable moving in that direction. “
Dr. Green said the department has received more than 3,500 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in recent weeks; however, at that time, they were only able to distribute to more than 300 people, in Phase 1A.
“We received the vaccine about a week or two after the hospitals, so we are still sailing through the first phase,” said Green.
A big gap that the CCDPH hopes to be able to fill with the help of 250 nurses and staff. Green says that everyone is trained to distribute vaccines or operate the sites so that they can switch and maintain the operations of other departments.
According to local health authorities, Cumberland County has a total of 14,430 cases of COVID-19, 140 deaths in total and a positivity rate of 15.4%.
Green told ABC11 that there are still more than 20 free COVID-19 test sites in the county, which made the decision to close the site much more reasonable. She believes that the loss of some test sites will not drastically affect the data the department is collecting.
“There are many test sites available to the public that are also free and available,” added Green.
The CCDPH will receive another shipment of 975 doses from Pfizer this week and will work to vaccinate newbies and individuals returning for the second dose. The department will also work to reactivate some more test sites.
“We are still going to continue our work with our state health department supplier; they simply won’t be served by the health department, ”said Green.
Although the county is lagging behind, Dr. Green told ABC11 that they hope to catch up and start Phase 1B next week alongside most of the state.
If you are looking for the free COVID-19 trial, you can access the NCDHHS website or the county website.
No word yet on how many vaccination sites will be available.
21:20
The Harnett County Board of Education approved that students return to face-to-face instruction on January 19. From kindergarten to fifth grade, they will have in-person classes four days a week. Elementary and high school students will continue on an A / B schedule
Pre-K will continue the five-day classroom classes.
17:15
Beginning this week, those aged 75 and over can register to receive the COVID-19 vaccination from the Wayne County Department of Health in Phase 1B.
The Wayne County Department of Health has only 550 doses of the vaccine to record in these two vaccination events. More information can be found here.
12:15 pm
The daily rate of positive testing for COVID-19 in North Carolina jumped to about 16.5%, the highest in the pandemic.
The increase comes after the rate of 13.6% on Sunday and 15.5% on Saturday.
The state notified 5,187 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday and there are 3,635 people hospitalized with COVID-19, also a new record.
There were 6,941 deaths (an increase of 31 from Sunday’s report) from COVID-19 and 570,111 in total cases. Complete statistics are available on the state’s COVID-19 panel.
MONDAY MORNING
The United Kingdom has distributed the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. Authorities said they had 530,000 doses of the vaccine and will continue to distribute the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Dialysis patient Brian Pinker was the first to receive the new vaccine at Oxford University Hospital.
Free trials of COVID-19 continue this week in Wake County. You can get a free COVID-19 trial at Roberts Park, Marsh Creek Park and Method Community Park in Raleigh this week. No ID or insurance is required. More information is available on the Wake County COVID-19 website.
Today is also the first day that some American patients will receive the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine. It has been 21 days since the first authorized Pfizer vaccines were given to frontline officials.
The vaccine requires a second dose 3 weeks after the initial dose in order to provide the best level of protection against obtaining COVID-19.
SEE ALSO | Larry King hospitalized in Los Angeles with COVID-19
Copyright © 2021 WTVD-TV. All rights reserved.