NC coronavirus update on December 2: North Carolina hopes to give COVID 19 vaccine to 75% of the population by summer 2021



[ad_1]

RALEIGH, North Carolina – Here are the latest updates on COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in North Carolina.

Have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine? Send them to us here

4:10 p.m.
Wake County will bring free COVID-19 testing to the Raleigh Gethsemane Seventh-day Adventist Church, located at 2525 Sanderford Road in southeast Raleigh, this Saturday and Sunday with toll-free drive-thru.

“We want to make testing readily available in communities where access may be limited – like southeast Raleigh or near downtown,” said Dr Kim McDonald, Wake County medical director. “Partnering with churches helps us bring COVID-19 testing to communities in a convenient and safe way.”

Those looking for a test can visit this link to get a time slot. The time slots will be between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

3:30 p.m.
North Carolina Central University Athletics announced on Wednesday afternoon that due to concerns about COVID-19 within the program, it will not play its next road games at Wofford (Thursday, December 3) and USC Upstate ( December 5).

Officials said there have been no positive tests in the NCCU men’s basketball program so far.

12:30 p.m.
North Carolina reports high daily increases in deaths from COVID-19 and the number of people hospitalized with the virus.

The Department of Health and Human Services is also reporting what may be the highest positive percentage rate of all time. The rate is noted 11.4%. The state had an 11% rate in July, but that was before the state started recording the number down to the first decimal point.

Another 4,199 people have tested positive for the virus. The death toll from the virus in North Carolina has increased by 82, to 5,366 since the start of the pandemic.

State reports at least 2,039 people are hospitalized with the virus

Full data can be found on the NCDHHS COVID-19 dashboard.

11:00
The White House coronavirus task force issued its most urgent warning yet in a document to governors, but has not been made public to the American public.

In the document, obtained this week by ABC News, the task force advises seniors to avoid unmasked indoor gatherings and that other Americans assume they have been infected with the virus if they made their way to celebrations. of Thanksgiving.

The task force’s new report says the risk of COVID-19 for all Americans is at an all-time high. ABC News got the governors briefing dated November 29.

The task force recommends that anyone over the age of 65 or with significant health problems “not enter indoor public spaces where anyone is unmasked” and that all Americans under the age of 40 should “assume that you got infected ”if Thanksgiving involved anyone outside of the immediate family.

“You are dangerous to others and you must isolate yourself from anyone at increased risk of serious illness and get tested immediately”,

“We are in a very dangerous place due to the current extremely high COVID baseline and limited hospital capacity; another post-Thanksgiving surge will compromise COVID patient care, as well as medical care in general.”

The report notes that North Carolina is in the red zone for COVID-19 cases, which means there are 101 new cases per 100,000 in the population. NC is in the yellow zone for test positivity, indicating a rate between 5.0% and 7.9%. Mecklenburg County, Wake County and Guilford County have recorded the highest number of cases in the past three weeks. These counties account for 23.3% of new cases in North Carolina.

Almost all counties, 86%, in North Carolina have moderate or high levels of community transmission.

The report can be read in its entirety here.

WEDNESDAY MORNING STORIES

As Wake County continues to add COVID-19 testing sites to meet demand, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said the state is preparing for the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine.

UNC professor and former Wake County health director Dr Leah Devlin said the goal is for 75% of North Carolinians to be vaccinated by summer 2021. Dr Devlin is one of three co-chairs of the NC Institute of Medicine’s COVID-19 Vaccine Committee.

Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and BioNTech say they obtained authorization for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain on Wednesday. The move would make Britain one of the first countries to start vaccinating its people.

U.S. Republican Ted Budd, of North Carolina, said he tested positive for COVID-19 and will complete his recovery at home. Budd said in a video message posted on social media Tuesday that he was showing “very mild symptoms” and that he will be working remotely from his family farm with staff in the district and in Washington.

The state surpassed 2,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Tuesday and reported a positive test rate of about 10.2%. New figures are expected to be released around noon on Wednesday.

TUESDAY

5:10 p.m.
Wake County health officials reported two outbreaks of COVID-19 to

Wake County Public Health has confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks in Avendelle on Lazy River Assisted Living, located at 2268 Lazy River Drive, Raleigh, and BellaRose Nursing and Rehab, located at 200 BellaRose Lake Way, Garner.

This is the second outbreak of BellaRose.

3:30 p.m.
At his Tuesday press conference, Governor Cooper gave more details on the planned COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.

To learn more, click here.

3 p.m.
Governor Roy Cooper held a press conference to urge northern Carolinians to continue doing what is necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases.

“We have to keep doing what we know well,” Cooper said at his new conference.

LOOK AT ITS OPENING STATEMENTS:

The governor also expressed his hopes for the vaccines under development and said they would be free for residents.

Cooper said hospitals and health departments will be the first to access and administer vaccines.

“When it’s my turn to get this vaccine, I’ll be ready to roll up my sleeves,” Cooper said.

12:10 p.m.
More than 2,000 people in North Carolina are hospitalized with COVID-19 for the first time since the virus was declared a pandemic in March.

With 97% of hospitals under the state, 2,033 patients are hospitalized due to COVID-19. The state hit another disturbing benchmark in Tuesday’s report, with the daily positive percentage rate reaching 10.2%.
Last week, the daily positive percentage rate averaged about 7.4%. The state’s target, which it reached at the start of the pandemic, is 5%.

There were 2,883 new cases reported and 23 additional deaths.

For complete information, see the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Governor Roy Cooper is due to speak at 3 p.m. on these updated numbers and what that means for security measures in the state.
A look back at November shows the state has seen an 82% increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases. This comes with only a 30% increase in the number of tests performed.

The positive percentage rate started the month around 6%.

In November, there were 87,820 new positive cases of COVID-19; 1.2 million tests have been performed.

The death toll has increased by 20%, with a total of 878 North Carolinians dying from the virus in November.

11:30 am
A Cumberland County teacher has died of complications from COVID-19.

Cumberland County Superintendent Dr Marvin Connelly confirmed the teacher’s death on Tuesday morning, conveying his condolences on behalf of the school system.

“We are saddened by the recent death of one of our teachers, due to complications from COVID-19,” said Dr Connelly. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the employee’s family, loved ones and the school community. Because the employee was working remotely, no additional staff were assigned. Due to labor laws. confidentiality, we cannot share additional information at this time. “

TUESDAY MORNING STORY LINES

Governor Roy Cooper will give an important update on the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic today at 3 p.m. The update comes after Monday’s report from the Carolina Department of Health and Human Services North which showed more than 1,966 patients are in COVID-19 hospitals – the highest total ever reported

That number includes 96% of the reporting hospitals, meaning there are likely a few more COVID-19 patients not included in the count.

Monday’s COVID-19 metrics also showed an increase in the percentage of tests returning positive. The daily rate of 9.5% came after a week that averaged around 7.4%, and is well above the state’s target of 5%.

You can watch Governor Cooper’s briefing on abc11.com and on the ABC11 Facebook page.

Wake County opens a new COVID-19 testing site on Tuesday. The site is located at 5809 Departures Drive in Raleigh, near downtown Triangle. Tests are available Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this week. You do not need to register to receive a test.

The Charlotte Hornets will not allow fans to attend home games to start the 2020-2021 season due to the pandemic. The team said on Monday they made the decision after consulting with local and state government officials. He will continue to work on a plan that will allow fans to return safely to the Spectrum Center later this season.

The Wake Forest men’s basketball program is suspending team activities for the remainder of the week and will not play in Troy on Wednesday due to recent COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.

Copyright © 2020 ABC11-WTVD-TV / DT. All rights reserved – The Associated Press contributed to this report.



[ad_2]

Source link