Coronavirus updates for Nov. 3: 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.

More than 8,000 new COVID cases

At least 8,020 new coronavirus cases were reported in North Carolina last week, up from 7,151 the week before, according to preliminary data from state health officials.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services also reported 623 new weekly COVID-19 hospital patient admissions, an increase from 601 the previous week, according to figures through Oct. 29, the most recent metrics available. The daily average of adult coronavirus patients in intensive care was 74, compared to 80 the week before.

The figures were released Wednesday, Nov. 2, 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. 2, 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 Oct. 22, the latest time period for which data is available.

As of Oct. 27, every county in North Carolina had a low community level for COVID-19, according to a map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The update came more than three months after 41 of North Carolina’s 100 counties were marked as having high community levels, which are determined by hospital patient and coronavirus case metrics.

Booster may impact omicron reinfection, study finds

A third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine may lower a person’s protection against getting reinfected with the omicron coronavirus variant, new research finds.

Instead, it’s possible that receiving two vaccine doses and then getting an omicron infection protects more against becoming infected another time, according to results from a preprint study.

Researchers said imprinting could be a reason why the findings showed “three-dose vaccination was associated with reduced protection compared to that of two-dose vaccination.” Imprinting happens when a person is exposed to a virus through an infection or a vaccine, impacting how the immune system will respond in the future, McClatchy News reported.

“This finding suggests that the immune response against the primary omicron infection was compromised by differential immune imprinting in those who received a third booster dose, consistent with emerging laboratory science data,” researchers wrote.

Read more about the COVID-19 booster study here.

Some businesses still struggle to find workers

More than two years after the early days of the coronavirus pandemic left many without jobs, some North Carolina businesses are struggling to find workers.

It’s happening as interest rates and stimulus money have helped many get back on their feet. Though wages have grown, they haven’t kept up with rising inflation, The News & Observer reported on Nov. 2.

“We’ve got a lot of money floating around in this economy, a lot of consumers who are looking to spend,” said Andrew Berger-Gross, a senior economist with the N.C. Department of Commerce. “So in a sense, the pandemic, and in particular the government’s response to the pandemic, has made our economy run even hotter and contributed to hiring challenges from employers.”

Even before North Carolina reported its first coronavirus case in March 2020, it was tough for companies to fill positions in several sectors, including trucking and nursing. The pandemic has made the situation worse, the N&O reported.

As customers face supply-chain concerns, the truckers they depend on to keep shelves stocked are in high demand.

There’s also a shortage of nurses that some say is worse than it was before the pandemic, which packed hospitals in the Triangle and beyond.

Meanwhile, restaurants are adjusting hours and offering higher pay as they struggle to fill positions.

Symptoms after COVID vaccines are a good sign, research finds

Some people experience symptoms after receiving their COVID-19 vaccines — and that’s a good sign, a study finds.

Researchers focused on 928 older adults and whether they felt sick after getting their shots. They determined that having fever, chills and other symptoms beyond discomfort at the injection site means that “the body is having a greater immune response,” McClatchy News reported on Oct. 27.

“These findings support reframing postvaccination symptoms as signals of vaccine effectiveness and reinforce guidelines for vaccine boosters in older adults,” researchers wrote.

Also in the study, people with few or no symptoms after their doses still had “a positive antibody response,” results published in the JAMA Network Open journal show.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the body is “building protection against the virus” even in those who don’t experience side effects. Post-vaccine symptoms typically last a few days.

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