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2:25 p.m.
Sampson County is reporting 36 new cases for a total of 5,041.
There have been 59 COVID-19-related deaths in the county.
2:00 p.m.
Orange County recorded 246 new cases last week, bringing the county’s COVID-19 total to 4,949. There have been 63 deaths in the county.
13:33
The Halifax County Department of Health is reporting 64 new cases for a total of 2,899 COVID 19 positive cases. There have been 49 deaths in the county – 1.7% of cases.
1:15 p.m.
In Chatham County, 708 people received the first dose of the vaccine. The numbers continue to rise as Chatham Hospital and CCPHD – with Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy reaching long-term care facilities in Chatham County through a federal government program – work to vaccinate people in phase 1a of the state’s prioritization guidelines.
“We are delighted to donate the COVID-19 vaccines, which is an important milestone in our response to the pandemic,” said Mike Zelek, Chatham County Public Health Director. “This process will take time however, and our current goal remains to vaccinate people in phase 1a who are most at risk of exposure and serious illness. We will update the Chatham community once we are ready to move on. to additional phases, which will depend on how quickly we reach individuals in phase 1a and our continued vaccine supply. “
12:15 p.m.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 6,715 new cases of COVID-19, with the percentage of positive tests dropping slightly to 13.3%.
A notice on the NCDHHS website notes, however, that the number of new cases reported Thursday would be lower than expected due to a reporting error on Tuesday.
Currently, 3,493 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide – the 23rd time this month, the state has reported a record number of hospitalizations and on the 10th day in a row, more than 3,000 people have been hospitalized. In addition, the state has reported a record 774 adults in intensive care with COVID-19. There are currently 367 intensive care beds available statewide.
THURSDAY MORNING HEADS
Wednesday’s record COVID-19 measurements were artificially inflated, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The numbers, while accurate, reflected 36 hours instead of the normal 24 hours. This is due to a reporting error on Tuesday, which caused today’s figures to include less than 24 hours.
This error has caused apparent record jumps in COVID-19 cases and deaths. However, the percentage of positive tests also reached a record high of 14.8% – showing that the raw numbers are still concerning.
In light of the ongoing pandemic, Governor Roy Cooper called on all North Carolinians to redouble their efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.
On Wednesday, he passed on a new warning from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, saying anyone over the age of 65 with underlying health issues should not be indoors with people who do not wear masks.
“The task force stresses that gatherings of people without masks, public or private, are simply not safe.” We need to take these White House recommendations and all security precautions seriously. As our death figures clearly show, it’s a matter of life or death, ”Cooper said.
The task force also said that everyone under the age of 40 – whether they show symptoms or not – should consider themselves infected if they reunite with people outside their homes for the holidays.
This means that these people could spread the virus; therefore, they should isolate themselves from people outside their household.
WEDNESDAY
5:12 p.m.
The North Carolina National Guard said it received the first allocation of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Doctors will begin providing voluntary vaccines to guards who are currently supporting the state’s response to COVID-19 after completing training on prescribed vaccines in the coming week.
5:08 p.m.
An offender with pre-existing medical conditions at the North Carolina Correctional Facility for Women who tested positive for COVID-19 has died in a hospital.
“We continue to work diligently to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in our prisons, as the health and safety of staff and the prison population continue to be our top priority,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons . “We sympathize with the offender’s family because losing a loved one is hard enough, but especially during the holiday season.”
The offender, who was in her 40s, tested positive for COVID-19 on December 27 and was hospitalized the next day. Her condition worsened and she died on Wednesday.
4:54 p.m.
The Cumberland County Public Health Department is reporting 440 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths since the last report on December 23.
Cumberland County has a total of 13,392 COVID-19 cases and 138 deaths.
Cumberland County remains in the red level of the NC County Warning System. This level signifies critical spread in Cumberland using the rates of COVID-19 cases, the percentage of positive tests and the hospital’s impact in the region.
Due to the significant increase in daily cases, contract tracing is expanding to notify people as quickly as possible if they have tested positive or been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Starting this week, all residents who have provided cell phone or email addresses will receive an automatic text message or email to connect people to resources and follow-up supports.
People receiving a text or email will be directed to a secure website which provides additional information on how to protect themselves and loved ones, how to get help if needed to self-isolate safely, and how to immediately contact someone for additional information.
Cumberland County is in phase 1a of the vaccination plan. This phase vaccinates public health and healthcare workers battling COVID-19 and long-term care staff and residents.
The Cumberland County Department of Health and the Cape Fear Valley Hospital System began immunizing residents in phase 1a in mid-December. According to the NC DHHS Dashboard, more than 2,500 initial doses have been administered in Cumberland County.
4:35 p.m.
The Halifax County Health Department is reporting 2,835 positive COVID cases in total, 19 cases and four additional deaths.
A total of 47 new positive cases of COVID 19 were reported on Wednesday.
County has 49 deaths linked to COVID 19
The health department also started vaccinating people in category 1A this week. People in direct patient care are group 1A.
Health officials said they hope to move to Category 1B by the second week of January and the response to the vaccine has been good.
4:13 p.m.
The Lee County Government Health Department reports that five county residents have died from complications from COVID-19.
The county’s death toll is now 44.
Three of those who died were hospitalized at Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford.
“We ask the community to join us in offering our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the five people who died from COVID-19 whom we reported today,” said Heath Cain, director of the department of Lee County Health. “We continue to see disturbing trends of COVID-19 in Lee County and are concerned about the impacts of the virus on our community. We know that people tend to gather with family and friends during the holiday season, but we strongly suggest that people avoid gatherings of people and celebrate people in your immediate household. “
Lee County has started administering the COVID-19 vaccine following the phased vaccine rollout plan determined by the NCDHHS.
4:09 p.m.
The Sampson County Department of Health said it had 233 new cases since Dec. 23 for a total of 13,801 COVID-19 cases.
No deaths were reported last week and the total death toll remains at 59.
The Sampson County Health Department began administering its COVID vaccine allocations on Wednesday morning. Based on state-approved distribution prioritization guidelines developed by the National Academy of Medicine Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 and the CDC Advisory Committee Immunization Practice, the first vaccines were administered to health workers and care providers (group 1a). It will be some time before vaccines are widely available to the general public.
3 p.m.
Wake County Public Health has confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 at PruittHealth-Raleigh, a nursing and rehabilitation center at 2420 Lake Wheeler Road.
This is the second confirmed outbreak at this facility. The previous outbreak occurred in June. No additional information about residents or employees of the facility will be disclosed.
2 p.m.
Governor Roy Cooper provided an update on North Carolina’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I ask every North Carolinian to double our prevention efforts and protect each other by wearing a mask, being responsible, following protocols and making good decisions,” Cooper said during the briefing.
Cooper said all precautions should be taken seriously.
Vaccines are available to everyone but supplies are limited, NCDHHS secretary Dr Mandy Cohen said. She said vaccines will be administered in phases and we remain in phase 1A.
She also said that phase 1b will be open in groups, starting in January with people aged 65 to 74.
WATCH: Dr Cohen explains how NC will roll out vaccine in stages
Cooper also said he signed an executive order extending the moratorium on evictions until January to help keep people in their homes.
“Too many families live on the edge, trying to do the right thing, but left with impossible choices,” Cooper said. “It will help them stay at home, which is key to slowing the spread.”
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 8,551 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number ever reported in a single day.
However, the agency clarified that a reporting error on Tuesday resulted in an increase in the numbers on Wednesday because it represented 36 hours of data instead of 24. Likewise, the state reported 155 more deaths from COVID-19. – a strong jump compared to the previous days for the same reasons.
The percentage of positive tests rose to 14.8 on Monday – the highest level so far in the pandemic.
Currently, 3,339 people are hospitalized for COVID-19 statewide.
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