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TITLES WEDNESDAY MORNING
More than 63,000 people in North Carolina received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The state is also receiving about 100,000 additional doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week. These doses are still reserved for certain workers and there is no specific date yet for when the vaccines will be offered to the general public.
The Roy Cooper government and other state health officials will update COVID-19 today at 2 p.m. ABC11 will broadcast that update on TV and online.
The IRS will begin sending the second round of stimulus checks to millions of Americans on Wednesday. Checks include $ 600 for eligible citizens and $ 600 for each dependent child.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has blocked two Democratic attempts to increase the amount of these checks to $ 2,000. McConnell is trying to link these check-ups to other elements of the Republican wish list, such as reviewing the 2020 presidential election and repealing protections for social media companies.
The new COVID-19 values in North Carolina are expected to be released around noon on Wednesday. Yesterday’s values showed a continuous increase in the number of people hospitalized with the virus.
TUESDAY
4:00 p.m.
Wake County Public Health has confirmed a outbreak of COVID-19 at Wellington Rehabilitation and Healthcare at 1000 Tandall Place in Knightdale.
This is the second confirmed outbreak of this facility. The previous outbreak occurred in April. No additional information about residents or employees of the facility will be disclosed.
At 14:00
An inmate of the central prison with pre-existing medical conditions, who tested positive for COVID-19, died at a hospital, the Department of Public Safety said.
“We sympathize with the offender’s family, because losing a loved one is quite difficult, but especially during the holidays,” said Todd Ishee, the commissioner for prisons. “We continue to work diligently to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in our prisons, as the health and safety of staff and the offender population continues to be our top priority.”
The offender tested positive for COVID-19 on December 18 and was hospitalized on the same day. His condition worsened and he died on December 24.
The offender was a 70-year-old man with underlying health conditions, the Department of Public Safety said.
1:01 p.m.
The Halifax County Health Department reports 15 new cases for a total of 2,788 positive COVID 19 cases.
There were 45 deaths in the county – 1.7% of COVID 19 cases.
12:40 p.m.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,563 new cases of COVID-19, according to the last two days of reporting, but lower than in previous weeks. However, the state recorded only 18,846 new tests, a sharp drop from previous weeks, when the state reported at least twice that amount each day.
As a result, the percentage of positive tests reached 13.5% on Sunday, almost three times the state benchmark of 5% or less. Hoke County has one of the highest percentages of positive tests in the state, at 17.9%.
Currently, 3,377 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 at the state level, the highest number reported so far in the pandemic. In the last 24 hours, 361 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized. A total of 761 adult patients with COVID-19 are in intensive care, the largest ever recorded. At the state level, 397 ICU beds are currently available and over 2,000 are used.
11:11 am
The Lee County government’s health department said it has begun administering COVID-19 to front-line health workers, in accordance with Phase 1a of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ (NCDHHS) vaccine distribution plan ).
“The department received the county’s first COVID-19 vaccine shipment on Dec. 22,” said Heath Cain, LCG’s health director. “We have a limited supply and we have focused our initial efforts on administering the vaccine to healthcare workers who are at the highest risk of COVID-19 exposure. The department continues to work closely with NCDHHS, but we are unable to predict how quickly we will go through the various phases of the vaccine launch plan because we do not know when and how much vaccine we will receive. The department will share additional information on vaccine availability as the information becomes available. “
The county health department received only one transport of vaccine. The vaccine delivered to Lee County Health Department was manufactured by Moderna and will require a second shot after four weeks.
The vaccination launch plan will take several months to complete; in the meantime, the public is reminded that, in order to help prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19, the public should continue to follow the three W – Wear a mask; Wait six feet or more from others to maintain a safe social distance; and wash your hands.
11 in the morning
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is working with the Central University of North Carolina’s Advanced Center for COVID-19 Disparities (NCCU ACCORD) to ensure that comprehensive information about COVID-19 is effective in reaching disadvantaged communities in COVID-19. North Carolina. The partnership aims to help everyone make informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccines.
“As the pandemic continues to disproportionately affect historically marginalized communities, it is essential that we reach the most affected,” said NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Health Services and co-chair of the Historically Marginalized Population Working Group, E. Benjamin Money. Jr., MPH. “By partnering with ACCORD, we are better able to ensure that we engage American, African-American and Latin American populations, as well as those without Internet access, to build confidence in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.”
NCDHHS and ACCORD teamed up in a joint survey to complement existing state consumer research data and to support ongoing communication efforts. The data will help inform materials and outreach efforts to provide accurate and reliable information that aligns with the needs and concerns of different communities.
“As a two-way exchange of information, this resource-sharing platform will greatly benefit all North Carolinaers and help us better serve the state and its communities of color,” said Deepak Kumar, Ph.D., Director of the Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI) and founder of the ACCORD program. The partnership will support our efforts to serve as a resource for disadvantaged communities through our network of community leaders and health partners.
9:47 in the morning
A COVID-19 test event was scheduled Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Moore County Health Department, 705 Pinehurst Ave. from Carthage.
TUESDAY MORNING TITLES
Three new free COVID-19 test sites are open in Raleigh.
Marsh Creek Park, Roberts Park and Method Community Park are the three new locations joining the Departure Drive Building, Radeas Labs and Swinburne Parking Lot as drive-thru test locations.
Click here for more information about each location.
Health officials suggest anyone returning from holiday trips or gatherings to be tested three to five days after last contact with people outside the balloon.
Tests at these drive-thru locations are completely free and usually give results in 24-48 hours.
Meanwhile, another candidate for the COVID-19 vaccine is moving forward. Novavax is now the fifth company to launch a large-scale study in the United States.
This vaccine is mass-produced in Morrisville at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies. Fujifilm has added 85 new jobs in Morrisville this year, and the company has said it wants to expand again in 2021.
Vaccines already authorized by the FDA are now distributed to nursing homes and long-term care facilities in our state.
CVS and Walgreens began vaccinating residents and staff at those facilities Monday.
Meanwhile, North Carolina reports more COVID-19 patients in hospitals than ever before: 3,192. This number includes a record 733 adults in intensive care.
Despite the momentum to increase the number of tests performed, the positive rate continues to rise – reaching 14.7%, which is much higher than the state target below 5%.
The new COVID-19 values will be launched around 12 pm
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