GREENSBORO, N.C. — Get the latest COVID-19 updates from Gov. Roy Cooper and the state task force, health departments, universities, school districts, and more in this story. We'll put North Carolina's COVID-19 numbers in context for you, and explain what it could mean for the reopening process. Call the North Carolina Coronavirus Hotline at 866-462-3821 or 2-1-1 for immediate questions.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021
5:15 p.m. - There are 7 confirmed COVID-19 cases among inmates at the Rockingham County Detention Facility.
The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office said the seven who tested positive are isolated from other inmates. All effective areas have been thoroughly re-sanitized according to DHS and CDC recommendations.
1 p.m. - Dr. Mandy Cohen and NCDHHS task force give COVID-19 updates.
Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said North Carolina has exhausted 95% of the state supply of North Carolina’s first doses of COVID-19 vaccine shipments.
Cohen said vaccine supply is “incredibly limited”.
“While this has been hard on providers, the demand for vaccines vastly exceeds our supplies,” she said. “There are somethings we cannot control and there is very limited supply of vaccine coming into our state.”
Moving forward North Carolina will set aside 84,000 vaccine doses out of the 120,000 doses received each week from the federal government vaccine shipment, to go directly to local providers. Doses will be split up by county based on population size and then among providers giving out vaccines.
“This pandemic is still spreading disease all across the nation,” Cohen said.
She said North Carolinians should only leave home for essential activities such as work and going to the grocery store.
Cohen said North Carolinians can access a new tool on the state’s site called “Find my vaccine” which helps users pinpoint which vaccine group they’re in.
She said multiple cities throughout the state including Greensboro and Charlotte are ramping up additional capacity to ensure vaccine supply is being distributed at nearby sites.
“We know we will have to work to get people to those vaccine sites,” Cohen said.
9:30 a.m. -- Novant Health officials will have an update on COVID-19 and vaccines.
MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021
4:30 p.m. - Forsyth County said it has vaccinated 10,000 people for COVID-19.
Beverly Dorsett became the 10,000th person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from Forsyth Public Health this morning at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds.
4:15 p.m. - Forsyth Public Health is now conducting all its vaccination appointments at a new mass vaccination site at the Fairgrounds Education Building, located off Deacon Boulevard.
Previously, Public Health was vaccinating more than 550 people a day at the Health Department. The new site allows for vaccinating more than 1,000 people a day.
Vaccination is by appointment only and no walk ups are accepted. Appointments are booked through Feb. 2. New appointments are added weekly based on the amount of vaccine Forsyth Public Health will receive. An announcement will be made when more slots become available on the appointment website, Bit.Ly/FCNCCovidVaccine.
12 p.m. -- Promising data shows COVID hospitalizations on a slight decline across North Carolina (3,287). Cone Health hospital data is showing a similar trend with 217 COVID patients as of Monday. Earlier this month, hospital analysts projected Cone Health would have already exceeded bed capacity. Analysts now project Cone Health will be over capacity by February 14 without the community’s full support to stop the spread of the virus.
More than 424,000 North Carolinians have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Over 76,000 people have gotten their second dose.
North Carolina’s percent positive has been hovering around the 10% mark for the past couple weeks. State leaders want that number to be below 5% before loosening more restrictions across the state.
STATEWIDE DATA
- New cases: 4,633
- Total cases: 723,445
- Hospitalizations: 3,287
- Percent positive: 10.2%
- Total deaths: 8,720
10 a.m. -- Mayor Nancy Vaughan will be at the Greensboro Coliseum Monday morning to discuss COVID vaccine operations there and the need for additional vaccine doses for our community.
FACTS NOT FEAR
Remember facts, not fear when talking about the coronavirus. You should take the safety measures recommended by health leaders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Abide by the three W's. That means wearing a mask, washing your hands, and waiting at least six feet from another person. You also want to avoid touching your face and make sure to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw it away.
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.
For more information visit the CDC OR NCDHHS website.
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 the keyword VIRUS to WFMY News 2 at 336-379-5775 for the latest.
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