COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on June 30
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We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Thirteen additional deaths reported
At least 1,013,689 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 13,437 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 208 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, down from 274 on Tuesday.
Thirteen additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday. Deaths don’t necessarily occur on the day the state reports them. The state health department revises its daily figures as more information becomes available.
At least 393 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Wednesday, up from 384 the day before.
As of Monday — the most recent date available — 2.7% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 56% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and about 53% have been fully vaccinated. State health officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
Mecklenburg residents should still carry mask
Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said residents should carry a mask at all times — particularly as cases of the Delta variant continue to rise.
Harris told The Charlotte Observer people who haven’t gotten the COVID-19 vaccine should wear a mask at all times. Masks aren’t, however, necessary for vaccinated individuals, she said.
Officials don’t know what percentage of new cases are caused by the variant in North Carolina. But Harris said it would be unreasonable to think it isn’t present in the state.
“My recommendation to people is don’t leave home without a mask,” Harris said.
Local experts believe the Delta variant will become the dominant strain of the coronavirus in North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Science group says masks protect students
Two reports by the ABC Science Collaborative promote continuing to wear masks at school until more students are vaccinated.
“The science clearly shows us that masking is an effective strategy to prevent within-school transmission when COVID-19 is circulating and when vaccination is not yet available for all children,” Dr. Kanecia Zimmerman, co-chair of the ABC Science Collaborative, said in a statement Wednesday.
The group is a partnership between Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill that advises schools how to deal with the pandemic.
The reports were issued just as the North Carolina Senate is slated to vote on legislation ending the governor’s statewide mask mandate that requires face coverings in schools. The measure has already been approved by the House and would allow public and private schools to make masks optional during the upcoming school year.
Passengers warned of busy holiday weekend as air travel rebounds in Charlotte
An airline is urging people to get to Charlotte Douglas International Airport earlier than usual if they plan to travel for the Fourth of July.
American Airlines said passengers should plan to be in security lines three hours early as long lines are predicted this weekend, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.
The airport is expected to be busy after seeing a dip in traffic last year due to COVID-19. In May, there were more than 2 million passengers — up from 499,000 in May 2020, data show.
NC ad highlights fight against COVID as Senate race takes shape
A new advertisement highlights coronavirus recovery as candidates vie to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.
“The freedom to hug a grandchild — to see a baseball game in person,” are some of the experiences that come into focus in the ad from the Democratic National Committee.
The video, which plays in nine other areas, was released just as the Senate race is taking shape in North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.
With primary elections set for next spring, both Democrats and Republicans have started to campaign. Former President Donald Trump already has backed U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, a Republican.
More than a dozen people have filed to fill the seat that will be left empty when Republican Sen. Richard Burr ends his term.
HBCU clears students’ debt
Saint Augustine’s University, a historically Black private university, said Tuesday it will clear students’ unpaid account balances from the 2021 spring, summer and fall semesters, allowing students who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to continue their education.
The move is expected to help about 800 students with an impact of more than $9 million, The News & Observer reported.
The funds will come from what money the university received from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act this year.
“I come from a low-income, single-parent household and I am a first-generation high school graduate and first-generation college student,” rising senior McKenzie Estep said in a statement. “This type of support brings me one step closer to reaching my dream of starting a career with less debt and becoming financially stable.”
Wake warns school test scores may not be accurate
Wake County schools issued an early warning that the state’s test scores this year might not accurately reflect how well students were taught during the pandemic.
North Carolina will release those grades on Sept. 1, The News & Observer reported. But school officials in Wake County said the accuracy of the results will likely be lower given how many students skipped the state tests this year.
“As those participation rates fall below 100%, some of those aggregations that they report — district level scores, school level scores, subgroup scores — are going to be less and less accurate, and we don’t know how that’s going to vary by different parts of the state,” Brad McMillen, Wake’s assistant superintendent for data, research and accountability, told a school board committee Monday.
Some early figures have showed more students than normal had failing grades. The majority of high school students who took state exams in the fall also didn’t pass them, according to The N&O.
Days left for families to apply for $335 checks
North Carolina families who haven’t received $335 payments from the state have a few days left to submit applications.
The deadline to apply for the Extra Credit Grant program is July 1, The News & Observer reported Tuesday.
Parents originally were eligible to receive the checks if they had a child under 17 and filed 2019 tax returns. Others were asked to fill out applications.
The program uses federal COVID-19 relief funds to help families pay for the costs of online learning and child care.
No extension on statewide eviction moratorium
The Council of State ended North Carolina’s moratorium on evictions, one day before the order was set to expire.
The decision came after Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday said he asked state leaders to make an extension on the order, designed to protect renters if they don’t pay due to financial hardships related to COVID-19.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pushed the national eviction moratorium to July 31. Some tenants will be protected against eviction even though the statewide order wasn’t extended, The News & Observer reported.
N.C. Treasurer Dale Folwell, a member of the Council of State, last week pushed the governor to allow the statewide moratorium to expire. But advocates have said the extension gives renters more time to receive aid.
This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 7:01 AM with the headline "COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on June 30."
