North Carolina coronavirus updates: 21,000 circumstances final week

We’re monitoring details about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Examine again each Thursday for updates.

Greater than 21,000 new COVID circumstances

Not less than 21,567 new coronavirus circumstances had been reported in North Carolina final week, down from 26,840 the week earlier than, in line with preliminary information from state well being officers.

The N.C. Division of Well being and Human Companies additionally reported 1,259 new weekly COVID-19 hospital affected person admissions, a drop from 1,317 the earlier week, in line with figures via Aug. 20, the newest metrics out there. The every day common of grownup coronavirus sufferers in intensive care was 152, in comparison with 159 the week earlier than.

The figures had been launched Wednesday, Aug. 24, about 5 months after well being officers began adjusting info on their coronavirus dashboard and publishing weekly COVID-19 information. The information had beforehand been launched virtually on daily basis.

Roughly 77% of adults in North Carolina have obtained at the very least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 73% are totally vaccinated. Of the state’s whole inhabitants, about 63% are totally vaccinated and about 67% have obtained at the very least one dose. State officers spherical vaccination metrics to the closest entire quantity.

Greater than 3.9 million “extra/booster” doses have been administered in North Carolina as of Aug. 24, the well being division stated. Well being officers have urged those that are eligible to get boosted, as information exhibits it presents elevated safety in opposition to the omicron coronavirus variant.

Throughout the state, just about all new COVID-19 circumstances had been attributed to the omicron variant’s “lineages” within the two weeks main as much as Aug. 13, the newest time interval for which information is out there.

COVID aid funds could possibly be used to keep away from NC principal pay cuts

Federal COVID-19 aid funds could possibly be used to assist North Carolina faculty principals keep away from pay cuts of as much as $18,000.

State Superintendent Catherine Truitt stated the proposal requires utilizing the cash to cowl pay losses that 360 principals are going through attributable to a brand new means salaries are calculated. The State Board of Schooling is scheduled to vote on the plan Sept. 1, The Information & Observer reported on Aug. 24.

“Principals got a monumental load in the course of the pandemic, as they had been tasked with main our colleges within the midst of ever-changing circumstances that included college students and academics shuffling out and in of quarantine whereas school rooms alternated between digital and in-person,” Truitt wrote in an announcement.

COVID-related waiver ends for individuals looking for driver’s licenses

A waiver that had allowed some North Carolinians to keep away from DMV street checks goes away.

The coronavirus-related coverage will come to a detailed on Sept. 14, The Information & Observer reported.

The change comes after the state in 2020 halted street checks to assist cease the unfold of COVID-19. There had been exceptions for teen drivers in addition to for “industrial driver’s licenses and medical evaluations,” in line with the N&O.

However now {that a} state of emergency is over, individuals desirous to get a North Carolina driver’s license for the primary time quickly must take an in-car take a look at, officers stated.

COVID outbreak impacts counseling in Mecklenburg jail

A Charlotte jail has a rising wait listing for counseling providers, and a latest coronavirus outbreak made the delays worse.

In Mecklenburg County, “officers have been pressured to pause a lot of the jail’s substance abuse program, contributing to the waitlist rising to 45 days — longer than many individuals who want the assistance even spend in custody,” The Charlotte Observer reported on Aug. 18.

Even when counseling is paused, the Group Help Companies division can proceed to do assessments for individuals whose jail items aren’t below quarantine, in line with Evelyn McGill of the substance use unit.

COVID insurance policies stay in some Charlotte-area districts

As college students return to colleges, some Charlotte-area districts will proceed to have coronavirus-related insurance policies.

Whereas Charlotte-Mecklenburg Colleges received’t require college students to be vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19, the district encourages anybody eligible for a COVID-19 shot to get one. Kids within the district must keep dwelling in the event that they obtain optimistic take a look at outcomes or have signs, The Charlotte Observer reported on Aug. 17.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg and a number of other different districts throughout the area received’t require face masks.

Learn extra about Charlotte-area faculty districts’ tips right here.

NC city corridor reopens after closing over COVID

After shutting its doorways for a number of days over coronavirus-related staffing worries, a North Carolina city corridor reopened.

The city of Pittsboro’s shutdown additionally had impacted its police division, The Information & Observer reported.

The city corridor closed on Aug. 9 and didn’t welcome the general public again till greater than every week afterward Aug. 18.

“We thanks on your endurance as we work via these challenges and sit up for resuming our regular ranges of service quickly,” spokesperson Colby Sawyer stated.

Pittsboro is in Chatham County, which was amongst dozens of locations within the state not too long ago labeled as having excessive transmission for COVID-19.