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.
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020
4:50 p.m. - Mount Zion Baptist Church announced Tuesday afternoon it’s partnering with Cone Health to offer coronavirus testing.
The church will offer tests Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their church located at 1301 Alamance Church Road.
“As a committed partner in Greensboro, Mount Zion Greensboro will continue to support the community to make a better life for citizens by serving the families and partners of the city,” the church said in a press release.
Mount Zion said all cars are encouraged to enter the church at the main entrance on Alamance Church Road and follow the directions of the officers.
12:30 p.m. - NCDHHS released the latest COVID-19 numbers for Tuesday.
- 54,453 CASES (UP 848) (slightly more than yesterday’s new daily increase)
- 773,828 TESTS (UP 16,483)
- 915 HOSPITALIZED (UP 45) (highest hospitalization day by far)
- FORSYTH – 2,615 CASES, 29 DEATHS (40 new cases, 1 new death)
- GUILFORD – 2,462 CASES, 106 DEATHS (28 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- ALAMANCE – 969 CASES, 36 DEATHS (23 new cases, 1 new death)
9 a.m. - Cone Health announced it has resumed all services. Those who put off procedures such as mammograms, colonoscopies, or other office visits due to the pandemic are encouraged to make an appointment. Cone Health said it has safety measures in place such as mask requirements for patients and staff. The hospital group also said although all services have resumed, visitor restrictions are still in place.
News to note:
North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said the state's COVID-19 case trends have worsened since the economy has reopened in recent weeks, but wouldn't say on Monday whether the trends would prevent more shuttered businesses from reopening when Gov. Roy Cooper's executive order expires on Friday, June 26. The number of virus-related hospitalizations remains near a record high for the pandemic, and the number of deaths is over 1,200.
MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2020
Noon - NCDHHS released the latest COVID-19 numbers for Monday. The new daily cases went down, but hospitalizations spiked again as Governor Cooper considers when to launch phase three (opening gyms, bars, entertainment venues). The percent of positive cases per tests for Sunday was at 9% (lower than Saturday's 10% but higher than last week's average of 8%). Over the weekend, Stokes County reported its first coronavirus death. All Triad counties now have deaths related to COVID-19.
- 53,605 CASES (UP 804) (lowest daily case increase since last Tuesday)
- 1,223 DEATHS (UP 3)
- 757,345 TESTS (UP 11,570)
- 870 HOSPITALIZED (UP 25) (second-highest hospitalization day)
- FORSYTH – 2,575 CASES, 28 DEATHS (51 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- GUILFORD – 2,434 CASES, 106 DEATHS (32 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- ALAMANCE – 946 CASES, 35 DEATHS (7 new cases, 0 new deaths)
7:45 a.m. - Join our live conversation on After GMS. Should North Carolina reenter phase one or move ahead in phase 2.5 or 3 in reopening?
SUNDAY JUNE 21, 2020
12:22 p.m. Guilford County currently has 2,402 cases of COVID 19. The NCDHHS also reports 106 total deaths in the county.
12:16 p.m. According to the NCDHHS, there are currently 52,801 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina. The site also reports 845 people hospitalized.
SATURDAY, June 20, 2020
1:09 p.m. Guilford County currently has 2,352 cases of COVID 19. The NCDHHS also reports 106 total deaths in the county.
1:06 p.m. According to the NCDHHS, there are currently 51,389 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina. The site also reports 883 people hospitalized.
FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2020
8:01 p.m. Guilford County Division of Public Health is offering free COVID-19 testing at Peeler Recreation Center located at 1300 Sykes Ave, Greensboro, NC 27405 on:
Monday, June 22
Wednesday, June 24
Friday, June 26
The event will be held from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Testing is indoors.
Fast track appointments are encouraged and can be scheduled in advance by calling 336-641-7527.
The free testing event is open to all Guilford County residents.
4:48 p.m. Cone Health announces via Twitter that the Women’s Only 5K Walk & Run is going virtual amid COVID-19 safety concerns. "In keeping with social distancing guidelines, this year’s virtual race will "inspire, empower and celebrate" the resilience of breast cancer fighters, survivors, and our entire community during these unprecedented times," the post read.
1:30 p.m. - Hospitalizations reached another new record for the fourth-straight day. New daily cases jumped to the second-highest level thus far with more than 1,600 according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The testing curve had a slight uptick yesterday with 9% of tests coming back positive, compared to 8% the day prior. Today’s testing percentage hasn’t come down yet.
Forsyth County had a larger than average case jump of 91 new cases, and Guilford had a significant death increase of seven. As of last night, Cone Health had 46 patients in the COVID hospital and five on ventilators (two fewer patients and one more on ventilator compared to Wednesday night).
Numbers to note:
- 49,840 CASES (UP 1,652) (SECOND-HIGHEST DAILY CASE JUMP)
- 1197 DEATHS (UP 22)
- 712,313 TESTS (UP 18,635)
- 871 HOSPITALIZED (UP 14) (NEW RECORD HIGH FOR FOURTH-STRAIGHT DAY)
- ALAMANCE – 883 CASES, 35 DEATHS (45 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- FORSYTH – 2,463 CASES, 27 DEATHS (91 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- GUILFORD – 2,281 CASES, 105 DEATHS (51 new cases, 7 new deaths)
- RANDOLPH – 1,013 CASES, 23 DEATHS (16 new cases, 1 new death)
12:30 p.m. - Greensboro gets $12.5 million grant for transportation coronavirus aid. The U.S. Department of Transportation granted $12.5 million to help the Guilford County Transportation and Mobility Services (TAMS) in Greensboro as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
9:30 a.m. - NCDHHS vs. Ace Speedway - Session 2. NCDHHS filed a temporary restraining order against Ace Speedway after the racetrack held multiple high-attendance events despite requests to following Phase 2 mass gathering guidelines. A hearing between NCDHHS officials and Ace Speedway is happening now in Alamance County Courthouse.
Friday's hearing is the second session of the case.
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020
6:00 p.m. A resident at the Richland Place community in Greensboro has tested positive for COVID-19 according to Louis Kievit, Vice President – Sales & Customer Engagement with Enlivant.
"We are coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control as well as all applicable local and state health organizations. The safety and health of our employees and residents is our top priority. Our team continues to monitor the situation and update procedures in accordance with evolving guidance to ensure the continued safety of our residents and our dedicated team of caregivers who are working tirelessly to provide quality, supportive care each day. For more than 35 years, Enlivant has been dedicated to enriching lives through meaningful relationships and vibrant communities for the residents we serve. We remain steadfast in our commitment."
2 p.m. - Gov. Roy Copper and members of Coronavirus Task Force give an update on COVID-19 in North Carolina.
Key points:
- Prison officials are announcing plan to test every inmate and staff member at state prisons, Cooper said.
- Examining possibility of requiring face coverings statewide.
- Through Project America Strong the government is distributing cloth masks to certain business structures.
- Mike Sprayberry encourages the public to donate to a food bank to help with widespread food insecurity in our state. Find a place to donate near you at feedingthecarolinas.org
- All 31,200 North Carolina prisoners are being tested. The process will take about 60 days and will cost $3.3M. The tests will be processed by LabCorp.
- 2,809 offenders have been tested so far
- The majority in the prisons who tested positive for the virus have recovered, Sprayberry said. Of the 717, 635 met CDC and NCDHHS criteria to be moved from medical isolation.
- "We want people to wear face masks. We are looking at the best way to do that," Copper said.
- "Public health is a priority," Cooper said in response to a question about wearing face coverings being an individual choice.
- Regardless of anyone's status (financial, insurance), it is important to test and trace. More testing in minority areas is being
- What would be your advice for minority communities who are hesitant to get tested because of financial worry? Cooper said, there are testing sites and the state is working on paid leave for those who have to isolate.
- We need more people to wear masks. We're looking at ll stats. You'll see PSAs from football players, hockey players, restaurant owners about the importance of wearing face coverings. Whether mandatory or not everyone needs to cover, Cooper said.
- "What's holding you back from making face-masks mandatory?" There are more than a dozen ways to write a law about wearing face masks. When making a law you have to be careful, specific and based on the best data. You'll get better results when you can convince the public this is something they should do.
- No one answer can explain what is driving the spread of coronavirus. We see out LatinX community being hard-hit, long term care settings, meatpacking plants is also another place where it spreads, Cohen said. "This virus is everywhere in our community," Cohen said. "What we want to do is be responsive to the data we are seeing."
- Are gyms being ambitious with announcing they plan to open next week when the order ends on June 26? No one knows what's happening as decisions are still being made. Data will be explored through the week and weekend, Cooper said.
- Hospitalizations are being watched as the numbers inch up. The thing being watched more than the increase of numbers is hospital capacity, ICU capacity, ventiliators, Cooper and Cohen said.
- Do you think it's necessary to enforce the wearing of face coverings? Some kind of enforcement is needed for face coverings. Cooper said they appreciate stores and businesses enforcing face-covering rules.
- Why aren't businesses required to report when someone has coronavirus? There are state laws around that. While day cares, congregate living facilities are required to report, others are not. That's why contact tracers are there to do the detective work and determine who needs to be contacted when someone tests positive.
1:35 p.m. - Crew member that was at Ace Speedway tests positive for coronavirus.
According to the health department, the member does not live in Alamance County. The department also said it has not identified a COVID-19 cluster linked to the recent crowded race at ACE Speedway.
1 p.m. - COVID-19 hospitalizations hit another record for the third-straight day in North Carolina. New cases topped 1,300. The testing curve had a slight uptick (9% of total cases coming back positive, compared to 8% the day prior). It also appeared to be the largest testing day thus far with more than 26,000 new tests.
Local hospital specifics (beds, ventilators) are not available on the state or county websites. The Green Valley campus at Cone Health Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro (the former Women’s Hospital, which is now a COVID hospital) had 48 COVID patients as of Wednesday, June 17. It can accommodate 48 more (96 total; 96 ventilators available), officials said. Only four of the 48 patients were using ventilators. The Cone Health Moses Cone Hospital also has beds available for COVID patients at its other campuses, as needed, officials said.
STATE
- 48,188 CASES (UP 1.333)
- 1,175 DEATHS (UP 7)
- 693,678 TESTS (UP 26,256) (highest testing day thus far)
- 857 HOSPITALIZED (UP 11)
MAJOR COUNTIES
- ALAMANCE – 838 CASES, 35 DEATHS (28 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- FORSYTH – 2,372 CASES, 27 DEATHS (39 new cases, 1 new death)
- GUILFORD – 2,230 CASES, 98 DEATHS (63 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- RANDOLPH – 997 CASES, 22 DEATHS (28 new cases, 1 new death)
12:40 p.m. - Winston-Salem State University cancels week-long homecoming celebration
WSSU announced Thursday its homecoming is canceled this year. According to a tweet from the school, the cancellation is “based on guidance from public health officials, feedback from our alumni, and our overriding concern for the health and well-being of the Ram Family.”
12: 25 p.m. - North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University officials announced on Thursday the Greatest Homecoming on Earth will not happen this year.
All in-person homecoming activities are canceled with the exception of the football game.
11:50 a.m. - Two firefighters with the Lexington Fire Department tested positive for coronavirus, the city of Lexington said.
The two firefighters are in isolation and their symptoms are being monitored.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020
10 p.m. - Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas announced Wednesday it’s adding steps to help customers who are suffering financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duke Energy said the additional steps build on the swift actions both service providers offered to help customers at the start of the response to the pandemic.
The company said both Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas suspended key credit processes, including disconnections for nonpayment, late payment fees and fees for credit card and other payments.
Duke Energy said the company also donated $6 million for COVID-19 relief efforts in Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee.
“We were proud to give our customers peace of mind that their electric and natural gas services would remain on as pandemic conditions left many families without incomes,” said Barbara Higgins, Duke Energy senior vice president and chief customer officer. “Now, we want to help customers prepare as states contemplate fully reopening their economies.”
1 p.m. - Winston-Salem Transit Authority employee tests positive for COVID-19.
The WSTA employee confirmed that contact was made during a time when he or she was not at WSTA, the company said.
"All WSTA employees are required to wear protective face coverings when social distancing cannot be maintained.
Any colleagues who may have had contact with this employee during the time of exposure were required to wear face protective coverings. WSTA is also providing free masks for passengers upon request.
WSTA has continually followed federal, state and local guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the virus since the pandemic started, by cleaning and sanitizing buses, as well as taking other precautionary measures.
We continue to urge passengers to wear masks while riding WSTA buses and recommend passengers to continue following the guidelines for prevention of Covid-19, as published by the CDC," WTSA said in a news release.
12:10 p.m. - NCDHHS daily report shows nearly two-thirds of people who have contracted the coronavirus in North Carolina have recovered. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released a general estimate of how many people have recovered from COVID-19 in the state based on data analysis. While the data is inexact, it provides a snapshot of hope as North Carolina coronavirus-related hospitalizations reach a new record high.
AT A GLANCE - NC COVID-19 Numbers (6/17/20):
- Testing curve is holding steady (between 6% and 10% of cases coming back positive over this past month)
- New daily cases are down from this weekend’s numbers
- More than 1,000 new cases identified as of today’s update
- Significant case jumps in Guilford and Forsyth and new deaths in Guilford, Forsyth, Alamance and Randolph
STATE
- 46,855 CASES (UP 1,002)
- 1,168 DEATHS (UP 14)
- 667,422 TESTS (UP 16,001)
- 846 HOSPITALIZED (UP 17) - New record
COUNTIES
- ALAMANCE – 810 CASES, 35 DEATHS (14 new cases, 1 new death)
- CASWELL – 106 CASES, 1 DEATH (2 new case, 0 new deaths)
- CHATHAM – 821 CASES, 39 DEATHS (7 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- DAVIDSON – 678 CASES, 15 DEATHS (14 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- DAVIE – 145 CASES, 2 DEATHS (1 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- FORSYTH – 2,333 CASES, 26 DEATHS (50 new cases, 1 new deaths)
- GUILFORD – 2,167 CASES, 98 DEATHS (64 new cases, 3 new deaths)
- MONTGOMERY – 218 CASES, 5 DEATHS (new cases, 0 new deaths)
- RANDOLPH – 969 CASES, 21 DEATHS (22 new cases, 1 new death)
- ROCKINGHAM – 147 CASES, 2 DEATHS (6 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- STOKES – 96 CASES, 0 DEATHS (1 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- SURRY – 346 CASES, 2 DEATH (4 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- WILKES – 550 CASES, 6 DEATHS (3 new cases, 0 new deaths)
- YADKIN – 255 CASES, 4 DEATH (4 new cases, 0 new deaths)
Noon - 8 Greensboro firefighters test positive for coronavirus.
The affected firefighters, whose symptoms were caught early, have not worked since they began showing signs of illness, the department said.
8:30 a.m. - Overnight summer camps are reopening in North Carolina, some parents have expressed concern about whether they are safe to send their kids to participate. WFMY News 2's Kandace Redd broke down the NCDHHS guidelines camps are required to follow during Phase 2 of North Carolina's reopening plan.
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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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