GREENSBORO, N.C. — WFMY News 2 is providing daily coronavirus updates with the latest information from emergency leaders, the state's task force, health departments, universities, school districts, and a lot more.
THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020
4:30 p.m.- Gov. Roy Cooper and the Coronavirus Task Force gives update on COVID-19 and a new Executive Order Emergency Operations Center.
Key points:
- Gov. Cooper announces the signing of Executive Order 143 to address disparities in communities of color. The order create the Andrea Harris Social Economic Environmental and Health Equity Task Force.
- The task force will focus on five areas: access to health care, patient engagement in health care settings, economic opportunities in business development and employment, environmental justice and inclusion, and education.
- Department of Administration Secretary Michelle Sanders will lead the group, Cooper said.
- In the coming weeks will name a diverse panel of leaders to serve on the task force, Cooper said.
- The order
12:30 p.m. - NCDHHS announced the latest COVID-19 numbers.
- 31,966 CASES (UP 1,189) (highest daily increase in cases)
- 960 DEATHS (UP 21)
- 468,302 TESTS (UP 19,039) (largest testing day)
- 659 HOSPITALIZED (down 25)
- GUILFORD – 1,445 CASES, 70 DEATHS (63 new cases, 2 new deaths)
- FORSYTH – 1,560 CASES, 17 DEATHS (74 new cases, 3 new deaths)
- RANDOLPH – 730 CASES, 14 DEATHS (33 new cases, 1 new deaths)
10:39 a.m. - Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center will celebrate 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients that have been treated and released.
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center will celebrate the fact that 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients have been successfully treated and discharged across the health care system. One of the patients is being discharged at 2 p.m. and will have a send-off celebration.
10:30 a.m. - Wake Forest Baptist Health infectious disease expert discusses how we make it through COVID-19.
Christopher Ohl, M.D., infectious disease expert with Wake Forest Baptist Health, will provide an update on COVID-19 in our region. He’ll discuss how we are doing now and how we are going to get through the summer?
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020
7:20 p.m. - On Thursday, the High Point United Way will host a facemask giveaway.
United Way of Greater High Point announced its second face mask giveaway. The donation is from Culp, Inc. During the first giveaway, 700 masks were distributed in about 45 minutes
4:25 p.m. - John Michael Montgomery at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds has been rescheduled.
Due to ongoing restrictions from public health and government entities related to the coronavirus pandemic, staff and musicians the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds will reschedule John Michael Montgomery as part of the WBRF Classic Country Concert Series to May 14, 2021, fairgrounds representatives said in a news release.
Noon - NCDHHS released the latest COVID-19 numbers for our state.
- 30,777 CASES (UP 888)
- 939 DEATHS (UP 18)
- 449,263 TESTS (UP 14,342) (SECOND-HIGHEST TESTING DAY)
- 684 HOSPITALIZED (DOWN 32 FROM RECORD-HIGH YESTERDAY)
- FORSYTH – 1,486 CASES, 14 DEATHS (52 new cases, 1 new death)
- GUILFORD – 1,382 CASES, 68 DEATHS (64 new cases, 3 new deaths)
9 a.m. - A Sheetz employee in Burlington tested positive for the new coronavirus.
A company spokesperson said the Maple Avenue store has been closed for deep cleaning and sanitizing.
8 a.m. - The City of High Point Municipal Building reopened Wednesday.
The building was closed to be properly sanitized for the protection of employees and the public after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. City officials said the building continually followed federal, state, and local sanitation guidelines of the facility.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
2 p.m. - Gov. Cooper is giving an update on COVID-19 and addressing George Floyd protests happening across the state.
The NCDHHS said while case numbers have increased, the trajectory of the cases has remained level. This means the percentage of tests that come back positive for the coronavirus has remained stable in the last week.
Secretary of the NCDHHS Dr. Mandy Cohen said the number of testing and contact tracing in North Carolina has also continued to rise this week. North Carolina is now averaging more than 10,000 tests conducted per day.
However, despite the increased testing, Dr. Cohen said, the rising case numbers indicate that the coronavirus is still spreading in North Carolina.
12:30 p.m. - NCDHHS releases the latest COVID-19 numbers.
- 29,889 Cases (Up 626)
- 921 Deaths (Up 23)
- 434,921 Total tests (Up 13,013) **THIRD-HIGHEST TESTING DAY**
- 716 Hospitalizations (Up 66)
- Guilford County – 1,318 cases, 65 deaths (30 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- Forsyth County – 1,434 cases, 13 deaths (51 new cases, 0 new deaths) **Forsyth Co. Health Department reported 15 deaths as of yesterday, which has not yet been reflected on the NCDHHS site.**
- More than 18,800 COVID-19 patients statewide are presumed to be recovered, according to a June 1 NCDHHS report.
11:45 a.m. - A Greensboro Sheetz employee has tested positive for COVID-19, the company announced in an emailed release.
According to a spokesperson for Sheetz, an employee at the 4319 W. Wendover Avenue location tested positive for the virus. The company released the following statement:
“Sheetz was informed today that an employee at our store location on Wendover Ave. in Greensboro, NC, has tested positive for COVID-19. Our top priority is the health and wellness of our customers and employees. This employee has not worked at this store location since May 23, 2020, and according to our on-going protocols, this store has been conducting daily cleaning, sanitization and disinfecting. Therefore, we will not be closing this store location at this time. We will continue to put the health and well-being of our customers and employees first as this unprecedented health crisis continues.”
News to note:
- A second North Carolina General Assembly chamber is pushing ahead with legislation designed to help voters access absentee balloting should COVID-19 make in-person voting risky for them. The Senate elections committee scheduled debate on Tuesday for legislation prompted by the expectation of increased demand for mail-in ballots this fall due to the new coronavirus.
- NCDHHS will be putting out the latest COVID-19 numbers at noon rather than 11 a.m. starting Tuesday. NCDHHS says increased testing has required more time for the data to process.
- Gov. Cooper and members of the state coronavirus task force will hold a press briefing to give COVID-19 updates at 2 p.m. You can watch the live-stream in this story.
FACTS NOT FEAR
Remember facts, not fear when talking about the coronavirus. You should take the same measures recommended by health leaders to prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses. That means washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, and covering coughs and sneezes.
WHERE YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS IS IMPORTANT
It is important to make sure the information you are getting about the coronavirus is coming directly from reliable sources like the CDC and NCDHHS. Be careful not to spread misinformation about coronavirus on social media.
NC CORONAVIRUS HOTLINE
The state also has a special hotline set up where you can call 866-462-3821 for more information on the coronavirus. You can also submit questions online at ncpoisoncontrol.org or select chat to talk with someone about the virus.
You can also text keyword VIRUS to WFMY News 2 at 336-379-5775 to find out more information.
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