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WEATHER WEDNESDAY MORNING
More than 63,000 people in North Carolina have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to reports, the state also receives about 100,000 more doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week. These doses are still reserved for specific workers and there is still no specific date for when the vaccines will be offered to the general public.
Gov. Roy Cooper and other state health officials will make an update to COVID-19 today at 2 p.m. ABC11 will broadcast this update on television and online.
The IRS will begin sending the second round of stimulus checks to millions of Americans on Wednesday. Checks include $ 600 for qualified citizens and $ 600 for each dependent child.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked two Democratic attempts to increase the amount of these checks to $ 2,000. McConnell is trying to relate these check increases to other items on the Republican wish list, such as reviewing the 2020 presidential election and repealing protections for social media companies.
New COVID-19 metrics are expected to be released in North Carolina around noon on Wednesday. Yesterday’s metrics showed a continued increase in the number of people hospitalized with the virus.
TUESDAY
4 p.m.
Wake County Public Health has confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 at Wellington Rehabilitation and Healthcare at 1000 Tandall Place in Knightdale.
This is the second confirmed outbreak in this facility. The previous outbreak occurred in April. No additional information about residents or employees within the facility will be disclosed.
14.00 h
A central prison inmate with pre-existing medical conditions, who tested positive for COVID-19, has died in a hospital, the Department of Public Safety said.
“We sympathize with the offender’s family, because losing a loved one is hard enough, but especially during the holidays,” said Todd Ishee, a prison commissioner. “We continue to work diligently to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our prisons so that the health and safety of staff and the offending population remains our top priority.”
The offender tested positive for COVID-19 on December 18 and was admitted the same day. His condition worsened and he died on December 24th.
The offender was a 70-year-old man who had underlying health conditions, the Department of Public Safety said.
13:01 h
The Halifax County Department of Health reports 15 new cases for a total of 2,788 positive 19 COVID cases.
There are as many as 45 deaths in the county: 1.7% of COVID cases 19.
12:40 p.m.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,563 new cases of COVID-19, in line with the last two days, but lower than in previous weeks. However, the state recorded only 18,846 new tests, a sharp decrease 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 testing in the state, at 17.9%.
Currently, 3,377 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, the highest figure ever recorded in the pandemic. In the last 24 hours, 361 patients confirmed with COVID-19 have been admitted to hospitals. A total of 761 adult patients with COVID-19 are in the ICU, the highest ever recorded. There are currently 397 ICU beds available throughout the state and more than 2,000 are used.
11:11 h
The Lee County Government’s Department of Health said it has begun administering the COVID-19 vaccine to front-line health workers under Phase 1 of the Department of Health and Human Services ’(NCDHHS) vaccine distribution plan. ) of North Carolina.
“The department received the county’s first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 22,” said Heath Cain, LCG’s health director. “We have a limited supply and have focused our initial efforts on administering the vaccine to front-line health workers who have the highest risk of COVID-19 exposure. The department continues to work closely with NCDHHS, but we cannot predict the speed with which you go through the various phases of the vaccine deployment plan as we do not know when and what vaccine we will receive. The department will share additional information on vaccine availability as the information becomes available. “
The county health department has received a shipment of vaccines. The vaccine delivered to the Lee County Department of Health has been manufactured by Moderna and will require a second vaccine after four weeks.
The vaccination deployment plan will take a few months to complete; meanwhile, the public is reminded that, to help prevent and curb the spread of COVID-19, the public should continue to follow the three Ws: wear a mask; Wait six feet or more from the others to maintain a safe social distance; and wash your hands.
11 h
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services partners with the COVID-19 Advanced Center (NCCU ACCORD) at the Central University of North Carolina to ensure that comprehensive COVID-19 information is effective in reaching communities. poorly served from North Carolina. The association 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 people,” said NCDHHS Deputy Secretary of Health Services and co-leader of the working group on historically marginalized population, E Benjamin Money, Jr., MPH. “By partnering with ACCORD, we can better ensure that we engage Indian, African American and Latino populations, as well as those without Internet access, to build confidence in the safety and effectiveness of COVID vaccines. 19 “.
NCDHHS and ACCORD have partnered in a joint survey to complement existing data from state consumer research and support ongoing communication efforts. The data will help inform outreach materials and efforts to provide accurate and reliable information that fits the needs and concerns of different communities.
“As a two-way information exchange, this resource-sharing platform will greatly benefit all North Carolinians and help us better serve the state and its communities of color,” said Deepak Kumar, Ph.D., director by 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 underserved communities through our network of community leaders and health partners.”
9:47 am
A COVID-19 testing event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Moore County Health Department, 705 Pinehurst Ave. in Carthage.
TUESDAY MORNING OWNERSHIPS
Three new free COVID-19 test sites are open in Raleigh.
Marsh Creek Park, Roberts Park and Method Community Park are the three new sites that join Departure Drive Building, Radeas Labs and Swinburne Parking Lot as drive-through test sites.
Click here for more information on each location.
Health officials suggest that anyone returning from travel or vacation meetings be tested three or five days after your last contact with people outside of your bubble.
Testing at these drive-through locations is completely free and usually results in 24-48 hours.
Meanwhile, another candidate for the COVID-19 vaccine is advancing. Novavax is now the fifth company to launch a large-scale trial in the US.
This vaccine is being mass-produced in Morrisville at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies. Fujifilm has added 85 new jobs to Morrisville this year and the company said it wants to expand again in 2021.
Vaccines already authorized by the FDA are now distributed to residences and long-term care centers in our state.
CVS and Walgreens began vaccinating residents and staff at these facilities Monday.
Meanwhile, North Carolina reports that there are more COVID-19 patients in hospitals than ever before: 3,192. This number includes a record 733 adults in intensive care.
Despite the push to increase the number of tests performed, the positive rate continues to rise, reaching 14.7%, which is well above the state target below 5%.
The new COVID-19 metrics will be released around 12 p.m.
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