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MAIN FEATURES OF THE FRIDAY MORNING
Starting Friday, COVID-19 vaccinations will be given at Walgreens locations in North Carolina.
The state is only one of 15 states where the national pharmacy will distribute the vaccines.
Walgreens follows North Carolina guidelines for vaccine distribution – which means that you must currently be a health professional or be over the age of 65 to receive the vaccine.
The pharmacy also only provides vaccines by appointment. You can make an appointment and find out where there is a vaccine facility near you.
The health department said the goal of vaccine distribution through Walgreens is to ensure that people living in medically disadvantaged areas have access to the vaccine.
State health officials confirmed on Thursday that the COVID-19 variant first discovered in South Africa has now been confirmed in North Carolina.
North Carolina will be the first state to report a confirmed case of the South African variant, which so far appears to be more contagious but not more serious.
All of this is because the COVID-19 statistics seem to be improving. On Thursday, the state reported a daily COVID-19 percent positive rate of less than 6% for the first time since October.
New songs are expected to be released around noon today.
THURSDAY
7:50 PM
Fayetteville Area System of Transit (FAST) has suspended multiple bus routes after three employees tested positive for COVID-19.
The following bus routes have been suspended due to driver shortage:
- Route 9 – Stacy Weaver Drive / Rosehill Road
- Route 10 – Strickland Bridge Road
- Route 11 – Country Club Drive / Pamalee Drive
- Route 15 – Cape Fear Valley Medical Center / Cross Creek Mall
- Route 19 – Yadkin Road
- Route 31 – Owen Drive / Gillespie Street (including Enterprise Avenue)
Route 7 – Raeford Road will operate on a limited service schedule.
At least 30 other people are quarantined after exposure. The first employee tested positive for COVID-19 on February 10. The City of Fayetteville Human Resource Development team is working to trace contacts
6.30 pm
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported the first identification of the COVID-19 variant B.1.351, a variant that was first discovered in South Africa, in a native of North Carolina.
The B.1.351 variant was found in October in South Africa and in January in the United States.
According to NCDHHS, the North Carolina variant B.1.351 was identified in a sample of an adult in the central part of the state who had not recently traveled.
The sample was tested by LabCorp and selected for sequencing as part of a collaboration with the CDC.
North Carolina is the fourth state to report an identified case of this variant. On February 9, nine cases of infection with the variant had been identified in residents of South Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia.
Viruses are constantly changing, and NCDHHS said it expects new COVID-19 variants to emerge in the state as the pandemic continues.
Data suggests that this variant may be more contagious than other variants, but does not suggest that it causes more serious disease. Current COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be effective against these and other new variants.
While we expected the arrival of the B.1.351 variant in NC, it reminds us that the fight against COVID-19 is not over yet. The emergence of variants that are more contagious means it is more important than ever to do which we know works slow the spread – wear a mask, wash your hands, wait six feet apart, and get vaccinated when it’s your turn, ”says NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, MD
1.10 pm
The NC House has passed Senate Law 37, which requires school districts to provide a personal learning option this school year.
The measure, passed by 74-44 votes, is now going back to the Senate for a simultaneous vote.
If passed there, the bill will go to the Roy Cooper office for approval or veto.
Senate Law 37 allows students to continue to learn at a distance if they wish.
Rep. Jeffrey Elmore, R-Wilkes, a public school teacher and co-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said the legislation provides families with security in education and economic planning.
“Currently, our students are subject to varying executive orders and mixed messages from the administration that have caused confusion and local delays, making it very difficult for parents to plan their work and education for their child,” Elmore said Thursday. . “This legislation gives families in North Carolina security and access to classrooms by combining more than a billion dollars in new education funding with local decision-making to implement a return to personal learning now.”
House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, said the current restrictions that keep students out of the classroom force parents to miss work or seek educational alternatives, and the legislation gives school systems the flexibility to adapt student assignments for personalized learning.
“Closing schools has put an economic strain on families in North Carolina, while young people are experiencing study delay, devastatingly impacting student achievement and exacerbating socioeconomic inequalities,” Moore said Thursday. “We listen to educators, health professionals, parents and especially our students, who have a constitutional right to access educational communities that meet their academic needs.”
11:40 am
The daily positive COVID-19 rates continued its steep decline with Thursday’s updated statistics.
The percentage was still in the teens last week, but Thursday’s report found the percentage to be 5.9%. The state goal, which it has not achieved since fall 2020, is to get below 5%.
State statistics showed a further 113 new deaths from the virus, bringing the total number to 10,294.
One hundred and six fewer people were reportedly hospitalized with the virus.
Click here for a full overview of Thursday’s statistics.
THURSDAY TOMORROW HEADLINES
The parking lot at PNC Arena opens Thursday as the first COVID-19 mass vaccination site in Raleigh.
However, you cannot just show up to get vaccinated. The supply of vaccines remains extremely limited; that is why you must have an appointment to get vaccinated at PNC Arena.
The slots are all full for today and Saturday. However, you can sign up for the waiting list – if you are a health professional or are over 65. At the moment, there are reportedly more than 90,000 people on that waiting list.
To do this, go to COVID19.wakegov.com or call 919-250-1515.
Officials said they hope to vaccinate 2,100 people at PNC Arena on Thursday. The goal of the site is to keep working regularly, but of course that all depends on how many doses of the vaccine the area is receiving.
Tomorrow, Walgreens will compete in the race to vaccinate in North Carolina. The pharmacy will send including 31,000 doses of the vaccine to 300 stores in North Carolina.
Walgreens also does not accept walk-ins. You must make an appointment on its website.
You may also see reports that CVS is also opening bookings for COVID-19 vaccine appointments. However, CVS does not release recordings in North Carolina yet.
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