NC Coronavirus Update October 5: 10,812 people in North Carolina have had COVID 19 multiple times, 94 have died after virus reinfection

RALEIGH, NC – Here is the latest news and information on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.

Q&A: What does it mean J&J wants the FDA to clear the booster shots

10:15 a.m.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that a new report shows COVID-19 vaccinations may have helped prevent around 11,000 new COVID-19 infections and 1,600 deaths in people seniors in North Carolina during the first five months of 2021.

The study, which was conducted by researchers at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at HHS, also found that nationwide vaccinations were linked to a reduction in approximately 265,000 COVID-19 infections, 107,000 hospitalizations and 39,000 Medicare deaths. beneficiaries between January and May 2021.

8:45 am
New data shows how many people in North Carolina have had COVID-19 multiple times.

From March 2020 to September 20, 2021, a total of 10,812 people in the state repeatedly confirmed cases of COVID-19 (representing 0.8% of all cases). Researchers only counted positive COVID-19 tests at least 90 days before, in an effort to avoid multiple positive tests for the same infection.

This 90-day interval is part of the CDC’s definition of a COVID-19 re-infection case.

NCDHHS said the number of reinfection cases has increased dramatically since the arrival of the Delta variant. The number of reinfection cases per week roughly doubled around July and then tripled around August.

The figures also show that 94 people have died after contracting a re-infected COVID-19 case. This represents about 0.6% of the total deaths from COVID-19 in the state.

To view the data yourself, Click here.

7:10
Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize additional injections of its COVID-19 vaccine as the U.S. government prepares to expand its recall campaign to millions of additional vaccinated Americans.

J&J said it has filed an application with the FDA to allow recalls for people who have previously received the company’s single-shot vaccine. Although the company said it has submitted data on several different recall intervals, ranging from two to six months, it has not formally recommended one to regulators.

TUESDAY MORNING NEWS
Harnett County students and staff can attend classroom classes today without wearing a face mask.

The Harnett County School Board voted Monday night to make masks optional, over objections from local health counselors.

In addition, students exposed to a positive case of COVID-19, but who have not yet tested positive for the virus, only need to quarantine for 7 days, instead of the previous 10 days recommended by health authorities.

According to our news gathering partners at News & Observer, District Superintendent Aaron Fleming warned the board that the 4-1 vote could have unintended consequences. For example, he said some schools may at times have to turn to distance learning if COVID-19 cases and quarantines increase, as they have done in other districts across the country that have returned the masks optional facial features.
In Wake County, the school board is expected to conduct its mandatory monthly vote on its COVID-19 masking policy.

Parents expressed their views on Zoom last night when the board met.

The district will also release a first look at its school reallocation plan for next year. The plan includes base attendance zones for three new schools: Apex Friendship Elementary School, Barton Pond Elementary School and Herbert Akins Road Middle School.

Parents will be allowed to review comments on the reassignment plan ahead of the board vote in November.

And in Durham, Broadway makes a return to DPAC on Tuesday night.

The group’s visit kicks off a six-day race in the theater. This is the first Broadway show since the pandemic began in 2020.

The DPAC requires proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test for all indoor events.

MONDAY
9:05 p.m.
In a meeting Monday, the Harnett County School Board voted to keep masks optional.

5:50 p.m.
Students at Sunnyside Elementary School in Cumberland County will temporarily switch to virtual distance learning from October 5 to 15 due to several positive cases of COVID-19.

Students are expected to resume face-to-face learning on Oct. 18, the district said on Monday.

Families will be contacted by the Cumberland County Schools Health Services office if their child is believed to have been exposed.

District officials have asked parents to monitor the health of their child and family for symptoms of COVID-19.

2:55 p.m.
Although pediatric COVID-19 infection rates remain at an “unusually high” level, this week the United States finally reported its first noticeable drop in new reported cases and hospitalization numbers among children, so as the delta thrust continues to subside in the deep south.

Last week, the United States reported more than 173,000 cases of COVID-19 in children, marking the first week with fewer than 200,000 new cases reported since mid-August, according to a recently released weekly report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Children’s Hospital Association (CHA).

Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 5.9 million children have tested positive for the virus, and in the past five weeks alone, the United States has reported more than 1.1 million pediatric cases.

1:00 p.m.

Twelve people incarcerated in the Orange County detention center have tested positive for COVID-19, the county said.

“Unfortunately, prison professionals across the state tell us that the number of COVID cases in detention centers is increasing. Despite our best efforts, we are also experiencing this increase in our facility,” Deputy Chief Jamison Sykes said. in a press release.

No one who tests positive is in a cell with a negative person, the county said.

Officials said the outbreak “appears to have originated from an individual who had no symptoms and a negative rapid test when he entered the facility.”

12:15
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released COVID-19 figures for the weekend.

The state reported 4,738 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, 3,728 on Sunday and 2,219 on Monday.

The average of new daily cases is down from a peak in mid-September.

The daily percentage of positive tests is 8.4%.

2,690 people are currently hospitalized in North Carolina with COVID-19.

There are currently 732 adult patients in the COVID-19 ICU.

209 confirmed COVID-19 patients have been admitted to hospitals in the past 24 hours.

12h00
The United States is “on course” from its current wave of Covid-19, but vaccination remains key to ensuring cases continue to decline before the holiday season, Dr Anthony Fauci said on Sunday.

The United States averages about 107,000 new infections every day, according to Johns Hopkins University, up from more than 150,000 last month. Hospitalization and death rates are also falling.

But Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC’s “This Week” that in nearly 20 months of the pandemic, the Covid outbreaks have subsided to come back again.

MONDAY MORNING NEWS

More and more local businesses will begin to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

The DPAC said it would start requiring proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test within the past 72 hours.

This requirement will apply for all events at DPAC, including Broadway performances, concerts, comedy shows and special events.

The Carolina Theater in Durham is also beginning to require proof of vaccination. The theater said anyone present must bring their physical vaccine card – photos on the card will not count.

Meanwhile, North Carolina Health Secretary Dr Mandy Cohen should be recognized for her role in guiding the state through the pandemic.

Wake Education Partnership will present Cohen with the Vernon Malone Friend of Education Award at their annual Stars of Education Gala, scheduled to take place Monday evening.

The Vernon Malone Friend of Education Award has been presented annually since 1990 to an individual who demonstrates exceptional commitment to public education.

FRIDAY
12:20
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 4,963 new cases on Friday, the fifth day in a row the state has reported fewer than five thousand cases.
The state also reported fewer than 3,000 hospitalizations for the second day in a row, with the percentage of positive tests remaining below 8% at 7.9%.

North Carolina passed 16,600 deaths from COVID-19 – with 16,605 deaths on Friday.

6:30 a.m.
An experimental COVID-19 pill has halved hospitalizations and deaths among people recently infected with the coronavirus, according to US drug maker Merk.

If approved, Merck’s drug would be the first pill to treat COVID-19, a potentially major breakthrough in efforts to fight the pandemic. All COVID-19 therapies now authorized in the United States require an intravenous or injection.

The company said it will soon ask health officials in the United States and around the world to authorize the use of the pill.

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