NC coronavirus update December 18: 128 cases of COVID-19 discovered in Wake County Public School System last week

RALEIGH, NC – Here are the latest updates on COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus in North Carolina.

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FRIDAY MORNING STORYLINES

From December 10 to December 16, 128 cases of COVID-19 were detected in the Wake County Public School System. The virus was found in 69 students and 59 staff. A cluster was reported at Lynn Road Elementary School in Raleigh.

The latest findings are an increase from the December 3-9 trajectory, where 84 cases were detected in the WCPSS. More information about the district can be found here.

Nearly six million doses of the Moderna vaccine are ready to ship, and FDA approval for emergency use approval is expected to come soon. Rural areas and nursing homes will be the first to receive the vaccine, as it doesn’t require ultra-cold storage like Pfizer’s vaccine.

WakeMed hospitals will start giving vaccines from Friday morning. More than 200 employees are vaccinated on Friday and more than 300 on Saturday.

Vice President Mike Pence will receive the Pfizer vaccine Friday at 8 a.m.

On Thursday, Governor Cooper said it is up to all North Carolina people to protect those who are on the front lines and most at risk. Cooper visited the UNC Medical Center where front-line workers were given the vaccine.

“We owe it to them to do the simple things like wear a mask and stay socially distant and be responsible and smart in the way we act, that’s what we owe them,” Cooper said.

A drive-up COVID-19 testing clinic is taking place at Greater Walltown United Holy Church in Durham. The clinic is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is sponsored by North Carolina Central University.

THURSDAY

7:50 PM
The Moore County Health Department is reporting two new outbreaks of COVID-19 among its long-term care facilities.

Health officials said four residents and seven Coventry staff at 105 Gossman Drive, Southern Pines tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, two staff and an often resident tested positive for COVID-19 at Elmcroft at 101 Brucewood Road, Southern Pines.

5:45 PM
Since Plan B requires students to return to school on a staggered schedule starting January 7, Cumberland County Schools (CCS) Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly Jr. the decision to change the schedule for week virus re-entry incubation period after the holiday.

“We realize there are many factors to consider in this transition,” said Dr. Connelly. “We have had to consider medical statistics, staffing and construction readiness, student success with virtual learning, students unsuccessful with virtual learning, the impact of virtual learning on students’ social and emotional well-being, and the impact on families on economic and economic area. Emotionally speaking. All in all, the safety and wellbeing of students and staff are our number one priority. “

The actual return plans and procedures remain the same; however, the dates have been adjusted. The updated district re-enrollment schedule depends on the statistics and the other factors that administrators monitor.
3:36 pm.
The Lee County Government Health Department said a county resident has died as a result of COVID-19-related complications. This is the 38th confirmed death of COVID-19 in Lee County.

2.30 pm
According to the latest White House Coronavirus Task Force report, obtained by ABC News, North Carolina is in the red zone for cases and for test positivity.

The state ranks 35th in the country for cases and 31st for test positivity, with 98% of all NC counties having “moderate or high levels of community transfer” and 60% having high levels of community transfer.

1:06 PM
The Halifax County Health Department reports a total of 2,424 COVID positive 19 cases, including 23 New Thursday.

An additional death was reported, bringing the county’s total to 44-1.8% of cases.

1 o’clock in the afternoon

North Carolina continues to see a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations – more than 2,800 on Thursday.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has announced that 2,804 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19.

In the past 24 hours, 320 confirmed COVID-19 patients have been admitted. During that period, 312 suspected patients were also admitted.

North Carolina also surpassed 6,000 related to COVID-19 on Thursday since the pandemic began. A total of 6,065 messages have been reported so far.

5786 new cases were reported.

The positive percentage is 11.7 percent.

12:36 pm
Sampson County reports 63 new cases of COVID-19. It had also fallen 79 on Wednesday. The province has a total of 4,569 positive cases.

One death was reported Thursday, bringing the total to 56 nationwide.

12 o’clock
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has announced that it has selected 17 school districts and 11 charter schools to participate in a pilot program to deploy COVID-19 rapid tests in public elementary schools for primary education and training where personal instruction takes place.

The goal of the rapid testing program is to slow the spread of COVID-19 by quickly identifying students and staff who may have the virus, especially after the holiday season. Schools and districts selected for the program offer full personal instruction (Plan A) or hybrid remote and in-person instruction (Plan B).

NCDHHS sent the selected districts and schools more than 50,000 federally funded rapid antigen tests. Tests are for students and staff with COVID-19 symptoms or who are in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. As part of the pilot, students and staff will have access to more than 200 test sites in schools in 17 provinces. Local health departments in each county participated in the application process and will assist with testing in some cases.
Here you will find more information.

10:10 am
Dr. Jason Wittes, a pharmacy director at Wake County, stated that the supply of COVID-19 vaccines is low and has just been shipped in recent days. It is expected to take months to produce adequate doses for everyone who needs a vaccine.

In phase 1 of the distribution process, the county will vaccinate the ambulance personnel, health workers at risk of exposure in clinics and prison, public health and adult and child services personnel working with the vulnerable.

“We are so close,” said Donald Gintzig, CEO of WakeMed. “This is home ground. We’re not dropping our guard, we’re doubling down. We strongly encourage everyone to stay vigilant with the 3Ws and get flu shots. The more vigilant we are, the better we’ll get through the winter together.” “

WakeMed expects a shipment of approximately 3,900 doses on Thursday, WakeMed employees will begin to get vaccinated on Friday.

7:55 am
Wake County Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Matt Calabria will hold a press conference Thursday at 10:00 am to provide an update on the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Wake County and to plan vaccine distribution. discuss. The update will be streamed live on abc11.com.

The state considers Wake County an “orange level / substantial” county with significant distribution of COVID-19 in the community.

7.15 am
The United States set another record Wednesday for deaths from COVID-19.

According to Johns Hopkins University, an additional 3,656 people died from the virus. It is the fourth time since the start of the pandemic that more than 3,000 people died from the virus in one day. The previous record of 3,300 fatalities was recorded on December 11.

Additionally, 247,403 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the United States on Wednesday – another record high. It’s the 44th consecutive day that the US has reported more than 100,000 new infections. The previous one-day record of 231,775 was set on December 11.

Nearly 17 million people in the US have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March. In that time, more than 307,000 have died of the virus.

THURSDAY MORNING STORYLINES

The FDA plans to review the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a committee meeting Thursday morning. A vote for emergency use authorization is scheduled for later in the afternoon.

If approved, it would be the second vaccine available for widespread use in the United States.

Six million doses are ready to ship with Gov. Roy Cooper planning to receive 175,000 doses in North Carolina. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, an Orange County woman, a research fellow and scientific leader at the National Institute of Health, is one of the leading scientists responsible for making Moderna’s vaccine.

ALSO SEE | Here’s a list of how the Moderna & Pfizer vaccines compare

WakeMed is expected to receive its first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, and front-line workers will receive their vaccinations starting Friday. WakeMed hospitals will receive a total of 3,900 doses of the vaccine. The Durham VA will begin firing shots on Thursday, and Duke Health plans to vaccinate an additional 400 staff.

A church in Hendersonville has been linked to a COVID-19 outbreak. First Baptist Church pauses church activities for 30 days after a Christmas celebration reportedly caused 72 COVID-19 cases.

The Duke women’s basketball team has suspended all team activities after two positive COVID-19 tests. Duke’s game against NC State this weekend has been postponed.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons says correctional officers and health workers will get the vaccine before inmates. The first shipment of vaccines to federal prisons arrived on Wednesday.