Coronavirus updates for April 20: 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.
Over 2,400 new COVID cases
At least 2,408 new coronavirus cases were reported in North Carolina last week, down from 2,789 the week before, according to preliminary data from state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services also reported 231 new weekly COVID-19 hospital patient admissions, a drop from 323 the previous week, according to figures through April 15, the most recent metrics available. The daily average of adult coronavirus patients in intensive care was 35, compared with 45 the week before.
The figures were released Wednesday, April 19, three weeks after the state health department announced it was updating its online coronavirus dashboard to include data about the flu and other respiratory illnesses.
Data shows roughly 78% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 74% have finished an initial round of vaccine doses. Of the state’s total population, about 63% finished their initial round and about 68% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination metrics to the nearest whole number and update them monthly.
“Out of all people who have finished their initial vaccines in North Carolina, 59% have been vaccinated with at least one booster, and 22% with an updated omicron booster,” the health department wrote on its website. Officials have urged those who are eligible to get boosted, as data shows it offers increased protection against the omicron coronavirus variant.
Earlier COVID vaccines aren’t authorized anymore in US
The Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines first designed to help protect against COVID-19 aren’t authorized anymore, officials said.
Instead, the companies’ newer shots have received authorization to be main doses for people at least 6 months old to receive in the United States. Those doses “include a component of the original vaccine and a second component targeting the omicron variant,” McClatchy News reported April 18.
That means people who haven’t been vaccinated could get a single “bivalent” dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines rather than two doses of their original “monovalent” ones, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
Also, some people who have gotten one of the latest vaccines — including those ages 65 and older — can get an extra dose, according to federal officials.
Read more about the authorization update here.
NC kids show improvement after COVID learning loss, report finds
After experiencing learning losses during the coronavirus pandemic, North Carolina students have made significant improvement, a new report finds.
Children saw gains in most subjects during the 2021-22 school year, and “students are being helped to get back on track to where they were expected to have been if the pandemic never happened,” according to Jeni Corn of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
The report was presented April 18, and it looks back at the effects after the spread of COVID-19 left children took students away from their classrooms in 2020-21. By the end of that school year, some children had fallen over a year behind in math and reading, The News & Observer reported.
“Our schools and districts have made incredible strides in helping so many of our students get back on track to their pre-pandemic performance,” Catherine Truitt, the state superintendent of public instruction, wrote in a news release. “This data also tells us there is more work to be done,and fortunately we still have federal funding available to support interventions targeted at the students who need it most.”
How much COVID relief money has Charlotte spent?
The city of Charlotte got about $359.47 million in COVID-related relief funds from the federal government, about $130 million of which went toward housing-related expenses. But time is running out to allocate the remaining money to address affordable housing in the area, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Meanwhile, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have until September 2024 to figure out how the district will spend its pandemic-related money. A decision on roughly $142.2 million is required this year.
“That’s part of a fiscal cliff that makes me nervous,” Elyse Dashew, chair of the school board, said in March. “It also keeps me up at night — the impact from COVID, the academic and social-emotional impacts our students are going through. It’s going to take a number of years to recover. Our kids will still be recovering when the (COVID relief) funds expire.”
Read more about the COVID-related spending here.
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