Coronavirus updates for Nov. 17: Here’s what to know in North Carolina this week

We’re tracking information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back every Thursday for updates.

6,000 new COVID cases

At least 6,325 new coronavirus cases were reported in North Carolina last week, down from 8,186 the week before, according to preliminary data from state health officials.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services also reported 563 new weekly COVID-19 hospital patient admissions, a drop from 583 the previous week, according to figures through Nov. 12, the most recent metrics available. The daily average of adult coronavirus patients in intensive care was 70, compared to 72 the week before.

The figures were released Wednesday, Nov. 16, more than seven months after health officials started adjusting information on their coronavirus dashboard and publishing weekly COVID-19 data. The figures had been updated almost every day.

Roughly 78% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 73% have finished an initial round of vaccine doses. Of the state’s total population, about 63% finished their initial round and about 67% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination metrics to the nearest whole number.

More than 3.9 million “first original booster/additional doses” have been administered in North Carolina as of Nov. 16, the health department said. Health officials have urged those who are eligible to get boosted, as data shows it offers increased protection against the omicron coronavirus variant.

Across the state, virtually all new COVID-19 cases were attributed to the omicron variant’s “lineages” in the two weeks leading up to Nov. 5, the latest time period for which data is available.

Two omicron BQ subvariants spreading in NC

A strain of the omicron coronavirus variant is spreading through North Carolina and could become dominant in the state.

The subvariants — called BQ.1 and BQ 1.1 — don’t appear to be making people more sick. But they’re “better at evading natural immunity from prior COVID infections and vaccine-generated immunity than were previous variants,” The News & Observer reported on Nov. 15.

The majority of people have been vaccinated or infected, making it unlikely that cases will spike, according to Dr. David Weber, an infectious diseases expert at UNC Health. But he said the emergence of another variant could make a surge possible.

In the meantime, people are urged to get the new COVID-19 vaccines. The shots — called bivalent boosters — were designed to target the omicron coronavirus variant.

Bus routes returning to Charlotte area after COVID hiatus

Three Charlotte-area bus routes that were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic are set to make a comeback.

Starting Nov. 28, service will return to “Steele Creek Express route 41x, Arboretum/Waverly Express route 61x and Mountain Island Express route 88x,” The Charlotte Observer reported.

Read more about the Charlotte Area Transit System’s restored bus routes here.

NC man accused of stealing millions in COVID relief funds

A Triangle-area man accused of stealing almost $4 million in COVID-19 relief money has pleaded guilty.

The Cary resident entered the plea in the conspiracy to commit money laundering case after federal prosecutors said he received money through the Paycheck Protection Program, which was designed to help small businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of the scheme, officials said the man conspired with others to make it seem as if he was regularly paying workers.

“In most instances, the recipients of the checks were either not employees of the borrower company at all, or they were not actually earning wages comparable to what was represented in the loan applications,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina wrote in a news release. “Jackson instructed his purported employees to cash the checks, and then return the illicit cash to him.”

After the guilty plea, the man could be fined or face up to two decades behind bars, The News & Observer reported on Nov. 10.

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