Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Dec. 10
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Hospitalizations hit new record
At least 416,083 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 5,714 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday reported 5,556 new COVID-19 cases, down from 6,495 the day before. Wednesday’s count was the highest ever reported in the state, surpassing the previous single-day record of 6,438 cases set last weekend.
Fifty-three additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Thursday.
At least 2,444 people in North Carolina were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday, marking the eighth consecutive day of record patient counts.
About 10.5% of tests were reported positive as of Tuesday, the latest day for which data are available. That’s above the 5% target set by health officials.
Drastic orders could be next if curfew doesn’t slow spread
Public health experts say stricter orders such as closing restaurant dining rooms could be on the horizon if Gov. Roy Cooper’s new curfew fails to slow the spread of COVID-19 in North Carolina.
But the chairman of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners said there aren’t any plans in place as of yet, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, have urged residents to wear masks, wash their hands, keep 6 feet of distance and follow safety precautions to keep the virus in check. But some say that isn’t enough as case numbers continue to surge and hospital beds fill up.
“The governor and Mandy Cohen can talk until (they’re) blue in the face — but if people don’t abide by what they say and the measures they prescribe are not enforced, then they won’t have the intended effect,” said Jim Thomas, a social epidemiologist at UNC Chapel Hill who studies pandemic ethics.
“Those restrictions ... are really driven by the depleted number of ICU beds to care for people. Heaven help us if we were to have some other disaster on top of this. We have no margin left.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has said it will issue citations for breaking the curfew only as a last resort, according to the Observer.
Vaccine could be months away, Cohen says
The coronavirus vaccine won’t likely be available for widespread distribution in North Carolina until the spring, health officials said Thursday.
While North Carolina is slated to receive more than 85,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week for front-line workers in about half the state’s hospitals, officials haven’t been told how much of the vaccine to expect in the weeks that follow.
“We’re talking about limited supplies at first, and so we don’t really know yet what the time sequence is going to be in terms of us having vaccine that is more widely available to the general public,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, the secretary of Health and Human Services, said at a press conference Thursday. “It is not going to be in the early part of 2021.”
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use on Thursday. But individuals won’t be able to get the vaccine until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes up with a set of guidelines for distribution, The News & Observer reported.
Hospitals hitting capacity a worry as COVID-19 spreads
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said she’s concerned that North Carolina hospitals will hit capacity in two or three weeks.
“We are on a dangerous course,” Cohen said Thursday. “Hospitals are feeling the strain, and this is really worrisome.”
Cohen also said patient counts are a “lagging indicator” of past COVID-19 data. In recent days, statewide coronavirus-related hospitalizations have hit record highs.
As case counts continue to climb, Cohen said the state has extra hospital space. The greater concern is staffing shortages as workers get sick or are exposed to the virus, The News & Observer reported.
New federal data shows how fast intensive care beds at North Carolina hospitals are filling up as case counts continue to rise.
The data, released this week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shows the COVID-19 capacity at individual hospitals according to the number of available ICU beds.
In North Carolina, more than 95% of ICU hospital beds are occupied in at least eight cities and towns — including Durham, according to an analysis of the DHS data by The New York Times.
Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro hospitals are above 80% capacity.
On Thursday, Cohen also urged people to practice social distancing and wear masks if they see their families in the upcoming days.
“Please, please avoid traveling and gathering this holiday season,” she said.
2 test positive after NC superintendents meeting
Two people tested positive for COVID-19 after an in-person meeting of the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association.
“Attendees followed all safety protocols required by the state during the event,” which was held Dec. 3-4 in Greensboro, according to the association’s executive director Jack Hoke.
“We have informed all attendees about the COVID cases and encouraged symptom monitoring and testing as each individual deems necessary to ensure their health and safety and for others around them,” Hoke wrote in a statement.
Lisa Jackson, superintendent of Pamlico County Schools, tested positive after the event. The Eastern North Carolina district said Jackson felt sick on Sunday and is now in quarantine, The News & Observer reported.
Fewer than half of NC residents say they will get COVID-19 vaccine
As North Carolina plans to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine, 40% of residents say they would get one.
The other 60% of North Carolinians wouldn’t get an FDA-approved vaccine or weren’t sure, according to survey results released Thursday from the Elon University Poll.
Some of the 1,390 survey respondents said they wouldn’t get vaccinated due to concerns about getting the disease or that the vaccine was developed too fast, results show. Dave Wessner, a biology professor at Davidson College, said it’s not possible to contract the coronavirus from the vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna.
The results come as health officials have been concerned that mistrust about vaccines could impact the fight against the coronavirus.
“Our best bet for managing this pandemic is to have a much higher percentage of people receiving the vaccine when they can,” said Melinda Forthofer, UNC Charlotte public health sciences professor.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Wednesday that “some degree of normality” could be possible for the United States by late 2021 if 75% to 80% of people get vaccinated against COVID-19.
School districts suspend in-person learning
Several school districts in North Carolina voted this week to return to virtual instruction as the number of new coronavirus cases continues to climb.
Johnston County Schools and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which are among the state’s biggest districts, both voted Tuesday to suspend in-person learning, as did school districts in Granville and Hoke counties, The News & Observer reported.
“The Thanksgiving spike is real,” Johnston County Superintendent Eric Bracy said Tuesday. “I think we’ve rocketed up our numbers since then. Also, I think the Christmas spike could be greater than the Thanksgiving spike because people travel or gather around more people as they did during the Thanksgiving holiday.”
In Charlotte, the school board voted 6-3 on Tuesday to move back into Plan C, which is full remote instruction, starting Dec. 14. Students are slated to return to in-person learning on Jan. 19, The Charlotte Observer reported.
NC State pauses men’s basketball activities; Duke postpones game
Men’s basketball activities at N.C. State University are on hold due to coronavirus cases and contact tracing.
The university on Wednesday said two people linked to the team tested positive for the disease, The News & Observer reported.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes and staff remains our unwavering priority,” said Boo Corrigan, director of athletics. “We will continue to work with all appropriate parties and adhere to ACC, campus and local protocols to make the most responsible decisions moving forward.”
N.C. State was scheduled to play Florida Atlantic University on Saturday.
At Duke University, the men’s basketball game against Charleston Southern has been postponed after the opposing school announced it is pausing its men’s basketball program.
The two teams were scheduled to play Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, The News & Observer reported.
Charleston Southern announced Wednesday a non-player had tested positive, prompting the university to go through contact tracing and testing protocols.
This is the third time Duke has had to postpone a game because of the coronavirus. Its next scheduled game will be against Gardner-Webb at 2 p.m Dec. 19 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Coronavirus-related deaths in NC prisons climb
Coronavirus outbreaks and deaths have been reported at state prisons as coronavirus cases continue to rise across North Carolina.
Inside the facilities, officials say the COVID-19 death toll is twice the level reported at the end of September. Overall, at least 28 inmates and five workers have died after contracting the disease, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.
“We are continuing to work hard to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in our prisons,” state prisons commissioner Todd Ishee, commissioner of state prisons, said in a statement released after a recent death. “The health and safety of the staff and the offender population is our top priority.”
Also in state prisons, data show the number of coronavirus cases has more than doubled in the past 10 weeks. More than 1 in 6 people in custody — 6,059 — tested positive for the disease as of Tuesday.
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 7:19 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Dec. 10."
