Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 8
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
New cases remain high
At least 602,774 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 7,328 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported 10,028 new COVID-19 cases, down from 10,398 the day before. Thursday marked the highest single-day case count reported since the start of the pandemic.
On Friday, 115 deaths were reported.
A record 3,960 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Friday, the same record high reported the day before.
As of Wednesday, the latest day for which data are available, 13.9% of COVID-19 tests were positive. Health officials say the number should be about 5% to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
State trooper dies from COVID-19
State trooper Timothy “Lee” Howell died Thursday after a “lengthy battle with COVID-19,” the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.
Howell also worked for the Sandy Bottom Fire Department in eastern North Carolina.
He was assigned to the Motor Carrier Enforcement Unit for Troop A in Greenville, according to the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office. Howell is survived by his mother Burma Howell, daughters Bailey Owens and Olivia Howell, brother Lynn Howell and girlfriend Krystal Westbrook.
“At 2:39 p.m. my best boy went to be with our Lord and his daddy,” Westbrook said in a Facebook post Thursday. “Our hearts are absolutely broken. We will absolutely never be the same.”
UNC basketball game postponed
UNC Chapel Hill’s basketball game against Clemson on Saturday was postponed after someone in the Tigers’ program tested positive for the coronavirus, the ACC announced Friday.
A new date has not been set, The News & Observer reported.
But the Tar Heels’ game against Syracuse originally slated for Jan. 2 has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 9 p.m. The game was pushed back after a previous opponent reported positive tests.
Coronavirus ravages NC nursing homes
A skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Huntersville, North Carolina, managed to avoid a single COVID-19 case until December, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Now at least 22 staff members and 61 residents have tested positive for the virus, and two have died.
“We knew it was going to pop. We just didn’t know when,” Sarah Ficara, a former clinical liaison at Olde Knox, told the Observer. She has since started working on a COVID-19 unit at Atrium Health.
The outbreak at Olde Knox is one of hundreds in the state. Mecklenburg County currently has at least 51 — up from under 20 in mid-October.
Among those outbreaks, nursing homes and long-term care facilities have been hit particularly hard.
“We’re losing a whole generation,” said Dena Shenk, the former director of UNC Charlotte’s gerontology program. “What scares me is the people who don’t care: who say they’re so old, they’re already in nursing homes, they’re going to die anyway. That’s the part that offends me.”
Senior couple in their 90s first up for vaccine in Durham
A couple in their 90s was among the first two seniors in Durham to receive the coronavirus vaccine on Friday at the Durham County Department of Public Health.
The department began doling out the Moderna vaccine Friday morning to seniors over the age of 75 under phase 1b of North Carolina’s vaccine distribution plan, The News & Observer reported. Fledra Hatch, 96, and her husband John Hatch, 92, signed up for the first two slots.
“It feels good,” Fledra said. “People of color, they didn’t want to do this. Many, many didn’t. I would advise them to get it because this thing is rampant, and it’s getting worse. I’m glad to be here.”
Vaccines in Durham County are by appointment only, and no more than four people are vaccinated at a time.
Charlotte area COVID positivity rate reaches new record
Hospitals in the Charlotte area are reaching capacity as the positive COVID-19 test rate soars.
Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, has more than 800 new coronavirus cases each day on average, data show. Also in the area, a record 16% of coronavirus tests came back positive in the past week.
“That’s also a 45% increase over the past month, signaling the virus is circulating more rapidly in and around Charlotte,” The Charlotte Observer reported.
As of late December, about 10% of ICU beds were available at Mecklenburg hospitals. To handle demand, medical are doing at-home treatments for some coronavirus patients and transferring people to hospitals with more space, representatives said.
As North Carolina continues its fight against COVID-19, one Charlotte area medical provider has vaccinated about 600 people over the age of 75. Novant Health said 2,500 more people are scheduled to get vaccines.
Coach K’s quarantine is almost over
Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is almost done with his 10-day quarantine period.
He and his wife Mickie went into quarantine last week after a relative was diagnosed with the coronavirus, The News & Observer previously reported.
Krzyzewski, known as Coach K, said he plans to get a COVID-19 test on Saturday morning. If the test comes back negative, he could resume his duties as coach of the Blue Devils in a home game against Wake Forest that afternoon.
High schoolers to take in-person tests
As coronavirus cases climb, some North Carolina students are set to take exams inside high schools next week.
High schoolers must take the standardized tests in person, even if they are signed up for online classes.
On Thursday, the N.C. State Board of Education approved making a request that the U.S. Department of Education avoid making districts and schools accountable for this round of exams, which are mandated by the state.
“But state education leaders say they still want to give the tests because the results will help ‘document the losses that we believe the pandemic has inflicted on our students,’” The News & Observer reported Friday.
Meanwhile, the Durham school board on Thursday voted to continue remote learning for the entire academic year.
“We will be able to keep our students and staff safe while ensuring continuity of learning,” Superintendent Pascal Mubenga said in a statement.
UNC-Chapel Hill delays start of in-person classes
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced Thursday that undergraduate students will start the spring semester online instead of in person, citing the climbing number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Classes will still begin Jan. 19 but will remain online for the first three weeks of the semester, The News & Observer reported. In-person classes are now slated to begin Feb. 8.
“We are making these changes with the health of our campus and the community in mind,” Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Bob Blouin said in a message to the campus community.
Dorms and residence halls will be available for move-in starting Jan. 13, but students will have the option to delay moving in until Feb. 7.
Most students, faculty and staff will also be tested for COVID-19 before returning to campus.
COVID-19 cases in Mecklenburg could stay high in February
The rising number of coronavirus cases in Mecklenburg County could remain high into February, Public Health Director Gibbie Harris warned Thursday.
She urged residents to stay home under the state guidelines, which ask people to limit their travel to work, school, exercise, medical appointments and grocery stores.
County medical director Dr. Meg Sullivan also said more than 2,450 Mecklenburg County residents have been vaccinated, with another 400 doses expected to be doled out Thursday.
“We know that our appointments filled up quickly,” she said. “We are working to open up additional appointments. We really encourage people to continue to check on our website.”
K-12 students could have to wait for coronavirus vaccine
Health officials aren’t sure when K-12 students in North Carolina will be vaccinated against COVID-19, even as teachers prepare to receive the first doses in the coming months.
In some counties, school employees are next up to receive the vaccine after it’s given to people over the age of 75, The News & Observer reported.
“We get asked the question a lot are kids going to be able to get vaccinated before the next academic year, and the answer right now is whether we can do that depends on the clinical trials that are right now planned or underway,” Dr. Charlene Wong, a chief health officer at DHHS, said at Thursday’s state Board of Education meeting.
While two vaccines have received emergency authorization in the U.S. for adults, neither has been approved for kids under the age of 16.
Some Triangle cities won’t require employee vaccinations
Two of North Carolina’s most populous cities won’t mandate COVID-19 vaccines for their employees.
Though experts have said it’s legal for employers to require vaccines, the cities of Raleigh and Durham aren’t requiring them, The News & Observer reported Thursday.
Raleigh said it will concentrate on sharing information and urging people to get vaccines.
“Right now, it’s a personal decision people have to take,” said city spokesperson Julia Milstead.
Also in the Triangle, the Duke University Health System on Wednesday started to vaccinate members of the public.
Duke is one of the area’s first medical providers to give the COVID-19 vaccine to people ages 75 or older under Phase 1B of the statewide vaccine plan.
Previously, vaccines were only available to health care employees who had patient contact as well as people who lived and worked in long-term care centers, The News & Observer reported.
“We expect there will be strong demand for the vaccine,” said Dr. Thomas Owens, senior vice president of the health system. “We are prepared to vaccinate aggressively. Our limiting factor is vaccine supply.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 7:10 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 8."
