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Cassie Fambro , Patch Staff. Posted Wed, Jan 12, at am ET. First, today's weather: Partly sunny. High: 50 Low: Find out what's happening in Davidson with free, real-time updates from Patch. North Carolina is adopting a face covering requirement to help slow the spread of COVID, making it mandatory for people to wear a cloth covering over your nose and mouth when they are indoor and in outdoor public places, where staying 6 feet from people who are not part of their households is impossible.
Face coverings are a simple way to control this virus while we protect ourselves, our families, and other people around us. Employees and customers of retail businesses and restaurants, as well as workers in manufacturing, construction, meat process and agriculture settings, must wear face coverings in those places.
Atrium Health, Carolina Panthers, Bank of America, Honeywell and many other companies have pledged to distribute 1 million free cloth face coverings to communities in need in North Carolina. The updated dashboard also includes a new report on clusters of COVID in child care and school settings.
Recent U. Testing has increased with 16, tests per day, on average, for the past week. We now have more than testing locations across the state along with several pop-up community testing sites. COVID remains a serious threat to our state and the trends are concerning. We have the tools to respond to this crisis and slow the spread of the virus — but we all have to work together to make this happen. Practice the 3 Ws - wear a cloth face covering, wait six feet apart and wash your hands frequently.
In addition to the Test Site Finder , North Carolinians may find single or multi-day pop-up testing events in their community. Other metrics that the state is watching also increased. The percent of tests that were positive climbed to 10 percent. This metric is based only on labs that report electronically to the state.
In addition, hospitalizations have exceeded for three of the past five days. The Community Care of North Carolina has hired nearly all contact tracing employees needed to inform those who have been exposed to the virus. The new guidance recommends clinicians ensure certain populations have access to testing , regardless of symptoms, including:. Persons who live in or have regular contact with high-risk settings e.
Persons who are at high risk of severe illness e. Front-line and essential workers grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, etc.
New interim guidance was issued for overnight camp settings. Find a vaccine near you. Latest Updates. January Jan. D, will host the event and will be joined by pediatrician Rasheeda Monroe, M. Users will be able to see vaccination rates by race for age groups and ethnicity for age group. Beginning Oct. Roy Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen expressed their gratitude for the faith community's support throughout the pandemic response and asked for their help reaching North Carolinians who have not yet been vaccinated.
The letter outlines three actions faith leaders can take , including directing their congregation and faith community to trustworthy sources about COVID vaccines , serving as vaccine ambassadors and hosting vaccination events.
NCDHHS announced four new locations offering monoclonal antibodies mAbs for treatment of COVID managed by local organizations in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, bringing the number of sites in the state offering this therapy to more than FEMA will also help staff one existing site.
This partnership will give more North Carolinians access to monoclonal antibody treatment, which can decrease the likelihood of hospitalization related to COVID if taken early.
Mandy Cohen urge school districts to keep mask mandates. The first weeks of school have brought more COVID cases among schoolchildren, which can lead to quarantines when schools don't have strong mask requirements in place.
For the period between July 1 and Sept. Betsey Tilson to issue a statewide standing order to expand access to monoclonal antibody treatment , which if taken early can decrease the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death. Cards were distributed to offset the time and transportation costs of getting vaccinated. This comes as the state hit a pandemic high on Aug. The Pfizer vaccine will continue to be available under emergency use authorization for teens 12 to 15 and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.
FDA approval for these populations will require additional time as the vaccine was not authorized for such use until more recently. The U. A full list of conditions can be found on the CDC's website. From Aug. The program will provide increased COVID testing to rural populations ensuring an equitable distribution across the state. All 19 hospitals have fewer than 50 beds or are critical access hospitals.
In addition to the selection of two new vendors, Kepro, Southeastern Healthcare NC and Vidant Health are expanding the counties they serve.
Employees not vaccinated are required to wear a mask and be tested at least once a week. Department of Veterans Affairs, U. The new data provides a more accurate representation of how many North Carolinians have been vaccinated. This federal data is now included in the statewide percent of population by age group that has received at least one dose and those who are fully vaccinated. The number of vaccine doses administered for North Carolina increased by , doses in addition to regularly uploaded data.
State health officials urge people to get vaccinated now to protect themselves and the community from serious illness and virus-related hospitalization and death.
Beginning this week, participating vaccination sites will offer the cards to anyone 18 and older who gets their first dose of a COVID vaccine — or drives someone to their vaccination. Tests can be used on people age 2 and up. The program will launch in fall and schools can register to participate beginning in early July.
The program is open for a second application period to assist very low-income renters that are experiencing financial hardship due to COVID The HOPE Program provides rent and utility bill assistance to prevent evictions and utility disconnections. May 25 A new tool created by the NC Department of Health and Human Services that maps social vulnerability and vaccination rates by census tract has helped North Carolina vaccine providers increase vaccinations by 50 percent in 89 underserved communities.
This new statewide program, known as the North Carolina Wastewater Monitoring Network, is a collaboration between 11 wastewater utilities, 8 local public health departments and researchers at the University of North Carolina. This expansion will provide benefits to families with young children and infants who need extra help buying food.
The state will begin issuing P-EBT benefits to eligible children under the age of 6 starting this week. Cooper and Secretary Cohen announced that North Carolina will remove its indoor mask mandate for most settings. Additionally, the state will lift all mass gathering limits and social distancing requirements. These changes are now in effect as of p. To find providers with the Pfizer vaccine, go to MySpot.
The new summer get-out-the-vaccine campaign offers a fun, flexible and community-centered approach that creates a space for every organization and individual to roll up their sleeves and do their part to stop the spread of COVID Executive Order will take effect April 30 and is set to expire June 1.
As more North Carolinians get vaccinated and adhere to safety protocols over the course of the next month, the state anticipates lifting more restrictions on June 1. April 22 NCDHHS announced the Bringing Summer Back get-out-the-vaccine campaign that will engage community organizations across the state to fully vaccinate as many people as possible by summer.
The campaign will run during two weeks in May May 9—15 and May 16—21 and two weeks in June June 6—12 and June 20—26 , during which organizations across the state will rally together to promote vaccination.
With stable trends and continued vaccination success, the state expects to lift mandatory social distancing, capacity and mass gathering restrictions by June 1. The Governor plans to issue an executive order next week outlining safety restrictions for the month of May. April 19 More than , doses of COVID vaccine have been administered through the federally supported vaccination center that opened March 10, in Greensboro, N.
Analysis by the CDC did not find any safety issues or reason for concern; and the CDC recommends continuing to administer the vaccine. When compared with the same survey conducted last fall, vaccine risk perceptions have dropped significantly overall, while the perceived rewards of being vaccinated have risen. April 6 April 7 marks the opening of vaccine eligibility for Group 5. Executive Order expedites the processing of unemployment insurance claims and is also effective through June 30, The program — which was set to end when all available funds were spent — is winding down this month, which means no new services can be requested.
The move will allow the state and vaccine providers to continue to get vaccines into arms quickly and continue to reach underserved and historically marginalized populations.
Executive Order will take effect March 26 at 5 p. Read the Order's frequently asked questions. NCDHHS expanded its vaccine data dashboard to provide information on people who have been partially or fully vaccinated through the federal long-term care and retail pharmacy programs. Users will be able to view information about who has been vaccinated through these federal pharmacy programs by county, race, ethnicity, gender and age group, and by week. Today marked the opening of vaccine eligibility for people who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk for severe illness or who live in certain congregate settings.
They talk about why they personally chose to get vaccinated and how that helps to protect others. March 12 NCDHHS is updating its visitation guidance for long-term care facilities to allow for in-person, indoor or outdoor, visitation in most circumstances.
The change aligns with new guidance released this week from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reflects rapidly improving trends in long-term care facilities. In addition to updating its guidance, the department is rescinding Secretarial Order 6: Visitation for Long-term Care Facilities.
March 11 Governor Roy Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen announced beginning on March 17, people in Group 4 who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk of serious illness and people who live in certain congregate settings will be eligible for vaccination.
The rest of Group 4, which includes other essential workers will become eligible April 7. Users will be able to see vaccinations by race, ethnicity, gender and age group by county, by week and since vaccinations began.
Case rates are down over fold in skilled nursing facilities, adult care homes and other licensed facilities since the peak of transmission in January Given the rapid decline in new cases, most facilities currently meet criteria to resume indoor visitation while continuing to follow infection prevention recommendations. A new federally-supported site will open in Greensboro next week, and Walgreens is providing vaccine through the federal pharmacy program.
Cooper also outlined an expected timeline for beginning Group 4 vaccinations. Beginning on March 24, people at higher risk from COVID due to underlying medical conditions will become eligible to receive a vaccine, as well as people in certain congregate-living settings. Friday, Feb. This rate does not include those in long-term care facilities.
The state has also been recognized for the quality of its data. Wednesday, Feb. Executive Order will take effect Feb. Executive Order lifts the Modified Stay at Home Order requiring people to stay at home and businesses to close to the public between 10 pm and 5 am. The number of people who may gather indoors will increase from 10 to 25, while 50 remains the limit for outdoors. The curfew on the sale of alcohol for onsite consumption will be moved from 9 p. A face covering is still required. For more information, read the frequently asked questions.
Monday, Feb. Thursday, Feb. Both first and second dose shipments have been impacted. The Department is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and vaccine providers to help minimize the potential effects of these delays. These delays may cause vaccination appointments to be postponed or rescheduled. The B. Data suggest this variant may be more contagious than other variants but does not suggest that it causes more severe disease.
Under the timeline outlined today, the state plans to move to additional frontline workers on March Tuesday, Feb. Governor Roy Cooper joined NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt and State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis to thank educators for their extraordinary work during an unprecedented time, to highlight ongoing research that shows that with proper mitigation measures, in-person learning is safe, and to emphasize the critical importance of ensuring all students have an opportunity to learn in a classroom.
Wednesday, Jan. Tuesday, Jan. Users also will be able to see the percent of doses received that have been administered. NCDHHS also shared more detailed guidance on the process for allocations for the coming weeks to ensure more transparency and certainty now that the state has largely exhausted the backlog of vaccine supply.
Monday, Jan. Find My Vaccine Group walks users through a series of questions to determine which vaccine group they are in. Saturday, Jan.
Thursday, Jan. People who need transportation assistance to a COVID vaccine should reach out to their local transit agency. Local transit agencies serve all North Carolina counties. Some vaccine locations are providing the vaccine by appointment only.
For a list of vaccine providers by county, visit YourSpotYourShot. Because vaccine supplies are currently limited, states must make vaccine available in phases. To save lives and slow the spread of COVID, independent state and federal public health advisory committees recommend first protecting health care workers, people who are at the highest risk of being hospitalized or dying, and those at high risk of exposure to COVID North Carolina moves through vaccination phases by aligning to federal priorities while giving local health departments and hospitals the flexibility to move to the next priority group as they complete the previous one and have vaccines available.
NCDHHS is partnering with health systems, local health departments and community health centers across the state to host large community vaccine events for people currently eligible to be vaccinated. More than 45, vaccines are expected to be given through these events.
Helping local health departments, hospitals, and other health care providers get vaccines in arms as quickly and equitably as possible remains the top priority. The state is continuing to see a steady increase in vaccination rates, which we expect to continue. More than , doses were given in just the past 7 days.
NCDHHS issued a Secretarial Directive telling North Carolinians to stay home except for essential activities and avoid gathering, especially indoors, with people who do not live with you.
The directive comes as the state reports 84 counties as red in the COVID County Alert System released today, meaning most of the state has critical levels of viral spread. North Carolina also has experienced record high numbers on key metrics in recent weeks, including its highest number since the start of the pandemic of cases reported each day, the percent of tests that are positive and people hospitalized with COVID This increase is part of the federal Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of Wednesday, Dec.
Tuesday, Dec. Monday, Dec. After months of caring for COVID patients, these health care workers began receiving the vaccine last week. Friday, Dec. For a full list of guidance about traveling and gathering during the holidays, along with a chart outlining low, medium and high-risk activities, see the NCDHHS Interim Guidance for Winter Holidays. Thursday, Dec. This flexibility will allow participants to buy food while promoting social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID and will help families with transportation and mobility barriers.
Registration for the event is preferred but not required. You can register for the Global Scholars Academy Community Testing Event over the phone by calling and choosing option 2. For Spanish, call If you are prompted to leave a voicemail, please provide your name, date of birth and contact information and you will be automatically registered for the event.
Saturday, Dec. The state is working hard to hit the ground running when these vaccines are approved and shipped. Health care providers are being enrolled in the vaccination program based on the ability to reach priority populations. Trusted providers like hospitals will be among the first to vaccinate people.
Initially, this very limited supply of vaccines will go to a small number of hospitals to vaccinate health care workers at high risk of exposure to COVID — those who are caring for or cleaning areas used by patients with COVID Additionally, long-term care staff and residents are prioritized to receive vaccines. Vaccinations at our nursing homes, adult care homes and other long-term care settings are being managed by the federal government.
We hope by January that health departments and community health centers will start vaccinating other high-risk adults who are high risk for complications, meaning they have two or more chronic conditions, and who are at higher risk for exposure. Having a safe vaccine within reach is an extraordinary achievement, but it is not a quick fix. It will take several months to have enough supplies that anyone can readily get a vaccine. Until most people are vaccinated, it is imperative to keep practicing the 3Ws.
Monday, Nov. The automated payment will be issued beginning Dec. Wednesday, Nov. The order tightens the existing statewide mask requirement — making it clear that everyone needs to wear a mask whenever they are with someone who is not from the same household.
The Order also adds the mask requirement to several additional settings including any public indoor space even when maintaining 6 feet of distance; gyms even when exercising; all schools public and private; and all public or private transportation when traveling with people outside of the household. The Order also requires large retail businesses with more than 15, square feet to have an employee stationed near entrances ensuring mask wearing and implementing occupancy limits for patrons who enter.
Read the FAQs. Friday, Nov. Demographic data for COVID cases per , residents and total deaths by week are available by age group, gender, race and ethnicity for the state. In addition, demographic data on deaths is available by county. Thursday, Nov. The record-high day follows several days of increasing trends in new cases, the percent of tests that are positive and hospitalizations.
Tuesday, Nov. This system will help give local leaders another tool to understand how their county is faring and to make decisions about actions to slow viral spread. The map will be updated every four weeks. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services: Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities is partnering with Livingstone College to execute a community-based program to provide critical resources to vulnerable populations impacted by the pandemic.
Demographic data for COVID total cases are available by age group, gender, race and ethnicity and can be filtered by county. The information will be displayed on a new Case Demographics Page on the dashboard. Other key metrics also increased with hospitalizations at 1, and the percent of tests that were positive climbing to 7.
Executive Order will go into effect on Friday, November 13 and will be in place through Friday, December 4. The Order does not change the reduced capacity limits for certain businesses that have already been laid out. For more on this, read the Frequently Asked Questions. Friday, Oct. This flexibility will allow participants to buy food while also promoting social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID and helping families with transportation and mobility barriers.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today launched an online portal for primary care providers to request reimbursement for COVID related costs for individuals without insurance. Wednesday, Oct. This order supplements the existing NC HOPE initiative started two weeks ago that pays landlords and utilities directly to keep people in their homes with the lights on. As North Carolinians look towards the holidays and begin to plan celebratory gatherings, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launches a new advertisement as part of the statewide "Whatever Your Reason" campaign.
North Carolina has seen increased hospitalizations and trajectory of cases in recent weeks. Governor Cooper underscored the importance of wearing masks, social distancing, and using good judgment despite fatigue or frustration with the pandemic.
The department has also released new guidance for private gatherings. Tuesday, Oct. The principles include: All North Carolinians have equitable access to vaccines. Vaccine planning and distribution is inclusive; actively engages state and local government, public and private partners; and draws upon the experience and expertise of leaders from historically marginalized populations.
Transparent, accurate and frequent public communications is essential to building trust. Data is used to promote equity, track progress and guide decision-making. Appropriate stewardship of resources and continuous evaluation and improvement drive successful implementation. Thursday, Oct.
North Carolina residents who plan to vote in-person should wear a face mask and keep it on throughout the voting process, stay 6 feet apart from others while at the polling location, and wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after voting. Governor Roy Cooper announced that applications are now being accepted for the N. The new program seeks to promote housing stability during the ongoing pandemic by providing rent and utility assistance to prevent evictions and utility disconnections.
For an up-to-date list of events, visit the Community Testing Events webpage. Many events offer testing at no cost. For more details about a specific event, call ahead before you go for a test.
Read more for dates and additional details. The app relies on users to anonymously submit their positive result to notify others. It is free, completely anonymous and does not collect, store or share personal information or location data. Statewide implementation is anticipated by June The grants will be awarded to licensed child care providers operating in-person during the months of August through October to help offset the significant financial strains due to the additional expenses to meet health and safety guidelines, while experiencing reduced revenues from lower enrollment.
Providers have the flexibility to use these grants to meet their unique individual business and operational needs. Monday, Oct. The Advisory Committee is comprised of stakeholders including public health experts, health care providers, advocacy organization leaders, and representatives of essential workers and at-risk populations. Extending these waivers allows nutritionally at-risk mothers, babies and children to use their benefits in a safe manner and enables the WIC program to operate based on local conditions throughout the pandemic.
The toolkit is available in English and Spanish. It includes talking points, sample language for websites and newsletters, social media posts, flyers, information to host a community testing event and to request Personal Protective Equipment and FAQs.
Wednesday, Sept. Executive Order begins Oct. Tuesday, Sept. Since establishing telehealth flexibility policies in early March, NC Medicaid has processed claims for approximately more than 1.
Treasury to provide support to state agencies, local governments, nonprofits, hospitals, educational institutions, and research organizations. Monday, Sept. Friday, Sept. For more information, read the press release and the FAQs. The program provides a benefit on an EBT card that can be used to buy food at authorized retailers, including most major grocery stores.
In the P-EBT program this fall, children are eligible if they had access to free or reduced-priced meals at school last year, their school district or charter school is eligible to provide free or reduce-priced meals at school this year, and their school district or charter school utilized remote learning for all students for at least five consecutive school days between Aug.
Thursday, Sept. It is completely anonymous and does not collect, store or share personal information or location data.
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