Coronavirus omicron updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 26
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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.
More than 100 deaths added
At least 2,323,482 coronavirus cases have been reported in North Carolina, and at least 20,440 people have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, Jan. 26, reported 20,286 new COVID-19 cases, up from 13,017 the day before.
At least 5,090 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Jan. 26, including 806 adults in intensive care units. The total patient count was up from 5,055 the day before, according to state health officials.
Another 105 coronavirus-related deaths were added.
As of Jan. 24, the latest date with available information, 32.4% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 74% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 70% have been fully vaccinated. Of the state’s total population, about 60% are fully vaccinated and about 64% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
About 2.8 million ”additional/booster” doses have been administered in North Carolina as of Jan. 26, the health department said. Health officials have urged those who are eligible to get boosted, as data suggests it offers increased protection against the omicron coronavirus variant.
About 99% of all new COVID-19 cases in the Southeast were attributed to the omicron variant as of Jan. 15, the latest date for which data is available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Could new coronavirus variant spread faster than Omicron?
Scientists have observed a new mutation of the coronavirus, dubbed BA.2 or “stealth omicron” because of a genetic trait that makes it harder to detect through testing.
BA.2 was first detected in the U.S. in December but scientists don’t know where it originated. While doctors have said it appears to be more transmissible than omicron, there is no evidence that BA.2 causes more severe illness than BA.1, otherwise known as omicron, The Charlotte Observer reported.
1 in 3 detainees at Durham jail has COVID
Nearly 1 in 3 people at the Durham County Detention Center have tested positive for COVID-19, marking the jail’s biggest outbreak and spurring officials to start offering booster shots to detainees.
Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said 116 out of 368 people incarcerated at the jail have tested positive, which he attributed in-part to the number of people entering the jail who are unvaccinated, The News & Observer reported.
“Every time someone is arrested and goes through our intake process, we certainly do the COVID screening,” he told the commissioners. “And most of those individuals often have not had their first shot.”
The sheriff’s department is working with Wellpath to provide first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and will submit an emergency funding request for more testing and cleaning supplies.
Durham County’s General Services department will also clean the jail for “the first time ever to sanitize as much as possible,” Birkhead said.
Mandy Cohen moves to private sector
The former secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services has taken a job at the health care company Aledade.
Mandy Cohen will become the chief executive officer of a new health services unit, Aledade Care Solutions, as well as executive vice president of Aledade, The News & Observer reported. Cohen led North Carolina through almost two years of the coronavirus pandemic before departing from the state health department in December.
Aledade is a health IT company based in Maryland with operations in North Carolina.
“After nearly 15 years in public service at both the federal and state level, I am excited to keep growing and learning as a leader and health care executive, now in the private sector,” Cohen said in a post on the company website. “When I looked for the next opportunity where I could continue to work on the mission to build a more equitable, health-focused, proactive, and trusted system, Aledade quickly rose to the top of the list.”
Wake, Charlotte add more face mask distribution sites
Wake County is adding two more places where people can get N95 face masks at no cost as the coronavirus continues to spread.
The county is expanding the mask distribution effort to locations on James Jackson Avenue in Cary and Departure Drive in Raleigh, while the Kidd Road site is being eliminated, The News & Observer reported.
Each person in a household will get one of the masks, which experts say offer more protection than surgical and cloth face coverings.
Officials said the masks are available at multiple locations and will also be distributed to “high risk and underserved populations.”
In Charlotte, N95 masks from the Strategic National Stockpile will be sent to pharmacies at CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid, The Charlotte Observer reported.
If you can’t make it to the mask distribution sites, it’s best to seek out approved N95 masks. Other types, such as M95i, may not have regulations or standards, experts told the N&O.
This story was originally published January 26, 2022 at 6:58 AM with the headline "Coronavirus omicron updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 26."
