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1:20 p.m.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that 109,799 people have received the first dose of the vaccine in the state so far.
That number may be under-reported, as there could be a gap of up to 72 hours in reporting.
This number also does not include the 165,990 doses that have been allocated to long-term care units. As of Jan. 4, CVS and Walgreens reported to NCDHHS that there were 13,338 doses administered through the federal program to long-term care units in NC.
1:15 p.m.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina continues to rise.
On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that there were 3,781 people with the virus in the hospital. That has increased by 146 months and a record so far in the pandemic.
382 confirmed COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in the last 24 hours.
The percentage of positive tests is 16.2 percent, well above the state target of 5 percent.
A total of 5,285 new cases were reported on Tuesday.
Another 55 deaths were reported. This brings the number in the state to 6,996 since the beginning of the pandemic.
1:05 p.m.
The Roy Cooper government is mobilizing the National Guard to help COVID-19 vaccination efforts in North Carolina.
Ensuring COVID-19 vaccines are administered quickly is our top priority at this time. We will use all the necessary resources and staff. We have mobilized the NC National Guard to provide support to local health providers as we continue to increase the pace of vaccinations. – RC
– Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) January 5, 2021
Cooper wrote on Twitter that the main reception of the state is the rapid administration of vaccines. He said the use of the National Guard will help local health care providers increase vaccination rates.
This message comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the state has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.
At 13:00
The first recipients of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine began receiving the second dose on Tuesday at UNC Medical Center.
The hospital said it had vaccinated 14,000 employees since the vaccine became available a few weeks ago. These employees now receive the follow-up dose, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
UNC Health said employees at UNC REX in Raleigh will begin receiving the second dose on Thursday.
10:50 in the morning
For the second time, Cypress of Raleigh confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak.
Cypress of Raleigh is a community of retirees and a health care center located in North Raleigh.
The facility had its first outbreak in August. The state defines an outbreak as two or more confirmed cases in a congregation setting.
According to NCDHHS rules, the facility must fall back to previous restrictions and not allow any visitors for 28 days.
Specifications regarding the number of confirmed cases per unit or whether these cases are among staff or residents have not been released.
TUESDAY MORNING STORYLINES
Seniors at a Raleigh community center will receive life-saving vaccines on Tuesday.
The Cardinal from the elderly community of North Hills will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for about 300 staff members and residents. The group is among those at risk and is part of the demographic group eligible for the early stages of the state in the vaccine launch plan.
SEE ALSO: North Carolina among 7 states with lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate, says CDC
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said some areas may move to Phase 1B in the vaccine launch plan. This phase includes adults aged 75 or over and essential front-line workers.
This is happening while some of the Phase 1A health workers have not yet been offered the vaccine.
All this is happening while state and federal officials admit that the launch of the vaccine did not go as well as they hoped.
“There were a few mistakes. It’s understandable,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci. “We’re not where we want to be, there’s no doubt about that.”
There are no specific dates yet when the next phases of vaccine launch will begin or any procedure you can sign up for to be notified when it’s your turn.
Health officials say it’s important to be patient. NCDHHS directs people to this website for more information about the vaccine phases.
MONTHS
10:00 p.m.
In an effort to increase the distribution of vaccination, Cumberland County Public Health Department is immediately suspending its testing sites, according to a press release Monday.
Beginning December 18, the department offered free COVID-19 tests twice a week at Manna Church and the Second Missionary Baptist Church.
Dr. Jennifer Green, director of the health department, told Michael Lozano of ABC11 that it is a decision I do not make easily, saying: “We wanted to make sure that there is staff capacity or that there is testing capacity in our community. And once we felt comfortable, we felt comfortable moving in that direction. “
Dr. Green said the department has received more than 3,500 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the past few weeks; however, at that time, they managed to distribute only more than 300 people in phase 1A.
“We got the vaccine about a week or two after the hospitals did, so we continue to navigate the first phase,” Green said.
A major gap that CCDPH hopes to cover with the help of 250 nurses and staff. Green says everyone is trained to distribute vaccines or operate the sites so they can rotate and maintain other department operations.
According to local health officials, Cumberland County has a total of 14,430 COVID-19 cases, 140 deaths in total and a positivity rate of 15.4%.
Green told ABC11 that there are still more than 20 free COVID-19 test locations in the county, which made their decision to close theirs much more reasonable. She believes that the loss of several test sites will not drastically affect the data collected by the department.
“There are many test sites that are available to the public that are also free and easily available,” Green added.
CCDPH will receive another shipment of 975 doses of Pfizer this week and will work to vaccinate first-timers and those returning for the second dose. The department will also work to back up several test sites.
“We will still continue to work with our state health care provider; they will simply not be employed by the health department,” Green said.
Despite the fact that the county is lagging behind, Dr. Green told ABC11 that he expects to catch up and will begin Phase 1B next week with most of the state.
If you are looking for free COVID-19 testing, you can access the NCDHHS website or the county website.
No word yet on how many vaccination sites will be available.
9:20 p.m.
Harnett County Board of Education approved that students return to personal instruction on January 19th. Kindergarten through fifth grade will receive face-to-face instruction four days a week. Middle school and high school students will continue on an A / B program
Pre-K will continue face-to-face training for five days.
5:15 p.m.
Starting this week, those 75 years of age or older can register to receive a COVID-19 vaccination from the Wayne County Department of Health in Phase 1B.
The Wayne County Department of Health has only 550 doses of vaccine for which you must register for these two vaccination events. More information can be found here.
12:15 p.m.
The positive daily percentage rate of testing for COVID-19 in North Carolina rose to 16.5%, the highest of the pandemics.
The maximum comes after the rate of 13.6% on Sunday and 15.5% on Saturday.
The state reported 5,187 new cases of COVID-19 months and there are 3,635 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, also a new level.
There were 6,941 deaths (an increase of 31 from Sunday’s report) due to COVID-19 and a total of 570,111 cases. Complete statistics are available on the state COVID-19 dashboard.
MONDAY MORNING TITLES
The United Kingdom administered the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. Officials said they have 530,000 doses of vaccine and will continue to administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Dialysis patient Brian Pinker was the first to receive the new vaccine at Oxford University Hospital.
Free testing of COVID-19 continues this week in Wake County. This week you can get a free COVID-19 test at Roberts Park, Marsh Creek Park and Method Community Park in Raleigh. No identity or insurance required. More information is available on the Wake County COVID-19 website.
Today is also the first day that some American patients will receive the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. It’s been 21 days since the first Pfizer approved vaccines were given to front-line workers.
The vaccine requires a second dose 3 weeks after the initial dose to provide the best level of protection against COVID-19.
SEE ALSO | Larry King was hospitalized in Los Angeles with COVID-19
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