NC coronavirus update Jan 6: Governor Roy Cooper gives COVID 19 update on Wednesday after mobilization of National Guard to help with vaccinations

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

Do you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine? Send them to us here

10 hours
A COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Goldsboro is out of doses for the day after early opening due to high demand.

Health workers at the Maxwell Center began helping vaccinate seniors just before 8 a.m. Limited supply of the vaccine was available to those waiting in line on a first-come, first-served basis. The clinic’s goal is to vaccinate 300 people every day for the rest of the week.

Thursday, the Wayne County Health Department will host another clinic for people over 75 and above at the Peggy M. Seegars Senior Center in Goldsboro.

WEDNESDAY MORNING STORYLINES

Gov. Roy Cooper and the state’s coronavirus task force will provide an update on the state’s COVID-19 response Wednesday at 2 p.m. On Tuesday, the Cooper government mobilized the NC National Guard to help distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.

Fifty National Guard personnel have been assigned to emergency management centers in Kinston, Butner and Concord.

WATCH: Is There A Delay In COVID-19 Vaccinations In NC? NCDHHS ”, explains Dr. Mandy Cohen

“Making sure that COVID-19 vaccines are delivered quickly is currently the top priority,” Cooper tweeted Tuesday. “We will use all necessary resources and personnel.”

You can watch the briefing live on ABC11 and abc11.com.

More than 3,700 people in North Carolina are in hospital because of COVID-19. The number of COVID-19-related deaths is expected to surpass 7,000 on Wednesday as that number currently stands at 6,996. The daily positive test rate is 16.2%, well above the state’s 5% target rate.

More than 3 million Americans were vaccinated on Tuesday. That brings the total number of vaccinated Americans close to 20 million.

TUESDAY

9.30 pm
ABC11’s Michael Lozano spoke to Rep. Billy Richardson, a Democrat in District 44, wrote a letter to Gov. Roy Cooper and the General Assembly on Sunday urging them to reconvene the General Assembly and deploy the NC National Guard.

The Congressman was forced to write the 600-word letter after a close friend of his, in Fayetteville, died of COVID-19.

‘It hit me so bad because his brother was a good friend and, um, I said,’ Enough. We have to, you know, I’ve explored my own consciousness and said I’m not doing enough as a representative, ” Richardson said.

Part of the letter says the rising COVID-19 statistics, along with the low vaccination rate, were “troubling.” Richardson told ABC11 that the commitment and establishment of the NC National Guard and Emergency Management will have a major impact on the state’s efforts.

“Our healthcare people don’t have to organize it and make the nuts and bolts of it. That’s what our great security guard can do,” said Richardson.

The congressman said this move will allow the state to catch up and get on top of vaccinations.

“We’re North Carolina. Maybe not, we may not start as fast as others, but we learn quickly and we adapt. And at the end of the day, we’re going to get our people vaccinated,” Richardson said.
6:40 PM
The National Guard has released more information about his plan to help with vaccinations in the state.

The North Carolina National Guard said yesterday and today it mobilized about 50 staff to support expected demand requests from state partners and regional health departments. The guard will be operational this week.

Some of the planned activities include logistics planning, support to command and control centers and vaccination teams that will be available to support state efforts and fellow guards.

Currently, the logistics and command and control personnel will be assigned to work with the regional coordination centers of the Emergency Management DPS division in Kinston, Butner and Concord. The vaccination teams will be mobile with time and locations still under development by DPS and DHHS.

The NC Guard will administer the COVID-19 vaccine, on a voluntary basis, over the next week to the Guardsmen who support the state’s COVID-19 response.

From March 6, 2020 to July 31, 2020, the NCNG had 940 service representatives on duty supporting the response from NC DHHS and DPS COVID-19. Their missions included PPE distribution, COVID-19 testing, food distribution, cyber support, and warehouse management and operations.

The Guard discontinued COVID-19 support at the end of July 2020 and restarted their COVID-19 support on September 23, 2020 at approx. 180 employees who provide support in food bank testing and COVID-19.

1:20 PM
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that 109,799 people have received the first dose of the vaccine in the state to date.

That number may be underreported, as reporting can delay up to 72 hours.

That number also doesn’t include the 165,990 doses assigned to long-term care facilities. On Jan. 4, CVS and Walgreens reported to NCDHHS that 13,338 doses had been administered through the federal program to long-term care facilities in NC.

1:15 PM
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina continues to rise.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that there were 3,781 people in the hospital with the virus. That is 146 more than Monday and a record so far in the pandemic.

In the past 24 hours, 382 confirmed COVID-19 patients were included.

The percentage of positive tests is at 16.2 percent, well above the state’s goal of 5 percent.

A total of 5,285 new cases were reported on Tuesday.

55 more deaths were also reported. That brings the number in the state to 6,996 since the start of the pandemic.

1:05 pm
Gov. Roy Cooper is mobilizing the National Guard to assist with COVID-19’s vaccination efforts in North Carolina.

Cooper tweeted that delivering the vaccines quickly is the state’s top priority. He said the use of the National Guard will help local health care providers speed up vaccinations.

That message comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the state has one of the worst vaccination rates in the country.

1 o’clock in the afternoon

Early recipients of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine received their second dose at the UNC Medical Center on Tuesday.

The hospital said it has vaccinated 14,000 workers since the vaccine became available weeks ago. Those employees are now getting the follow-up dose, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

UNC Health said employees at UNC REX in Raleigh will receive their second dose on Thursday.

10:50 am
For the second time, The Cypress of Raleigh has a confirmed COVID-19 outbreak.

The Cypress of Raleigh is an elderly community and nursing home in North Raleigh.

The facility first broke up in August. The state defines an outbreak as two or more confirmed cases in a common environment.

Under NCDHHS rules, the facility must now fall back to previous restrictions and not allow visitors for 28 days.

Details of the number of confirmed cases at the facility or if those cases are under staff or residents have not been released.

TUESDAY MORNING STORYLINES

Seniors at a community center in Raleigh will receive potentially life-saving vaccines on Tuesday.

The Cardinal of the North Hills senior community will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for approximately 300 staff and residents. The group is one of those at risk, and some of the demographics are eligible for the early stages of the state’s vaccine rollout plan.

SEE ALSO: North Carolina Is One Of The 7 States With The Lowest COVID-19 Vaccination Rate, CDC Says

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said some areas could move to Phase 1B in the vaccine rollout. That phase includes adults aged 75 or older and primary care workers.

This is happening while some health professionals in Stage 1A still haven’t gotten the vaccine.

All of this comes as state and federal officials admit the vaccine rollout hasn’t gone as smoothly as they’d hoped.

“There have been a few problems. Understandably, ”said Dr. Anthony Fauci. “We are not where we want to be, no doubt about that.”

There are no specific dates yet for the next vaccine rollout phase or a process that you can sign up for to be notified when it’s your turn.

Health officials say it’s important to be patient. NCDHHS directs people to this website for more information on the vaccine stages.