Coronavirus updates for Sept. 8: 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.
19,000 new COVID cases reported
At least 19,638 new coronavirus cases were reported in North Carolina last week, down from 21,288 the week before, according to preliminary data from state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services also reported 996 new weekly COVID-19 hospital patient admissions, a drop from 1,103 the previous week, according to figures through Sept. 3, the most recent metrics available. The daily average of adult coronavirus patients in intensive care was 134, compared to 158 the week before.
The figures were released Wednesday, Sept. 7, more than five months after health officials started adjusting information on their coronavirus dashboard and publishing weekly COVID-19 data. The data had previously been released almost every day.
Roughly 77% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 73% are fully vaccinated. Of the state’s total population, about 63% are fully vaccinated and about 67% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination metrics to the nearest whole number.
More than 3.9 million “additional/booster” doses have been administered in North Carolina as of Sept. 7, 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 Aug. 27, the latest time period for which data is available.
NC expert explains new COVID booster shot
The new booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are becoming available in North Carolina.
The shots — known as bivalent boosters — were designed for the omicron coronavirus variant. They could help to stop breakthrough infections and serious illness, The News & Observer reported.
“The easiest way to think about it is, this is exactly what we do each year for flu when we try and ever so slightly modify the recipe,” said Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease expert at Duke.
As of Sept. 6, Wake and Durham counties were set to begin offering bivalent booster shots. Mecklenburg County said it hadn’t received a delivery of the doses but planned to share updated information at a later time.
Pharmacies are rolling out booster shot appointments and medical provider Atrium Health is awaiting shipments, The Charlotte Observer reported on Sept. 6.
People older than 18 are eligible to get the extra Moderna shot, and those older than 12 can get the Pfizer version. While North Carolinians should get the shots “at least two months after” their last COVID-19 vaccine dose, Wolfe said there could be an advantage to waiting to get the shot two weeks before going somewhere important.
“Is there something coming up in my calendar or significant events — school, crowded activity or international travel — that I just really can’t afford COVID to derail?” he asked.
Durham school sues after parents refuse to let kids return
A North Carolina school sued as some parents refused to let their kids return earlier during the coronavirus pandemic.
Montessori School of Durham filed six lawsuits in 2021 as it tried “to recoup tens of thousands of dollars in tuition for classes students never attended, costs stipulated in contracts signed weeks before the first COVID-19 case was ever detected in North Carolina,” The News & Observer reported on Sept. 2.
Tammy Squires, head of school, in a statement said the school offered a COVID-19 program, which allowed students to attend virtual, face-to-face or hybrid classes. The families that were sued opted not to participate, she said.
Kat Tedford, who had lost her job and didn’t want to put her 3-year-old at risk, said the remote learning materials required her to sit with her toddler for a few minutes instead of receiving child care the whole day.
“We had to do all of these things just to survive,” said Tedford, who was ordered to pay $37,000 after not letting her child go back to the school in fall 2020. “And for them, they came out on top of this. They profited from the pandemic.”
As the lawsuits were pending, the school received more than $500,000 in coronavirus-related relief from the federal government, the N&O reported.
COVID relief funds being used to prevent principal pay cuts
With some school principals facing thousands of dollars in pay cuts, North Carolina education leaders approved a plan to protect their salaries.
The N.C. State Board of Education voted in favor of using $4.5 million in federal coronavirus relief money toward a “principal retention supplement.” The plan was approved after a change from lawmakers impacted salary calculations, The News & Observer reported on Sept. 1.
“We didn’t want them to spend the first half of the school year wondering if they’ll face a $12,000 pay cut or even more,” said Catherine Truitt, the state superintendent.
Also in the education field, Charlotte-area schools have seen an increase in teacher departures, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“We were already losing teachers before the pandemic due to years of General Assembly policies which have made a career in public education less attractive,” said Justin Parmenter, who teaches language arts at South Academy of International Languages. “The COVID-related stresses have simply accelerated an existing problem.”
COVID blamed in part for NC’s drop in life expectancy
North Carolina had its largest-ever decline in average life expectancy from 2019 to 2020, new data shows.
The 1.5-year drop means that life expectancy in the state was 76. That 2020 figure was lower than the national average of 77 and indicated a disproportionate impact on Black residents, The News & Observer reported on Sept. 1.
“While white residents lost about 1.2 years, their Black counterparts lost about 2.3 years,” the N&O reported.
Scott Lynch of the Duke Population Research Institute said the primary reason for the drop is COVID-19. Drug overdoses may have also played a role.
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