Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 9
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
New cases set record
At least 614,355 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 7,425 have died, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Saturday reported a record 11,581 new COVID-19 cases. That broke previous daily case records this week of about 10,000 cases, The News & Observer reported.
On Saturday, 97 deaths were reported.
At least 3,871 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Saturday, down from a record 3,960 patients on Friday.
On Saturday, the state reported 14.8% 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.
New COVID-19 deaths in Mecklenburg County shatter previous mark
Mecklenburg County on Friday reported 16 more people died of COVID-19, the most in a single day during the pandemic.
The deaths shattered the previous mark of 13, set Jan. 5.
A Charlotte Observer analysis of county health data shows an average of seven people per day have died over the last week from COVID-19 in Mecklenburg. That’s the highest number of fatalities seen throughout the pandemic.
A total of 622 people have died from coronavirus complications, according to the health department.
The record number of deaths correlates with a dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Mecklenburg over the last two months.
Intensive care units at Charlotte-area hospitals are nearing capacity, with a surge in COVID-19 patients, The Charlotte Observer reported on Friday. That coincides with a staggering increase in new infections.
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, hospital staff 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.
This story was originally published January 9, 2021 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 9."
