After a slow start, North Carolina is ramping up its COVID-19 vaccinations. Some 9.2% of residents got the first shot of COVID-19 vaccines by Monday, Feb. 8, when 970,162 people had received a first dose, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Two days earlier, an average 8.6% of COVID-19 tests came back positive.
The COVID-19 crisis has brought death, economic destruction, and wrenching social change. As a combination of post-illness immunity and rising vaccinations begins to suppress the pandemic, we’re going to feel a powerful impulse to put as much of this horrendous experience as possible behind us.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has added new county demographic data for COVID-19 vaccinations to the vaccine data dashboard. Data on people who have received the first dose or both the first and second dose of the vaccine are available by race, ethnicity, gender and age group and can be filtered by county.
The N.C. General Assembly passed a bill Thursday, Feb. 4, that provides more than $2 billion in COVID aid across the state, most of it to public schools. The bill now heads to Gov. Roy Cooper, who held a press conference Thursday calling for hundreds of millions in more spending.
Governor Roy Cooper today outlined a plan for allocating federal COVID-19 relief funds for immediate needs and investing state resources to help North Carolina communities build back as the state turns the corner on the pandemic.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released new tools to help North Carolinians get their COVID-19 vaccine questions answered and to find vaccine locations in the state.
Both political parties are throwing their weight behind school reopening in North Carolina. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, urged schools to allow students to return to the classroom. Republican lawmakers also Tuesday, Feb. 2 moved to mandate in-person learning as an option for all K-12 students.
Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) increased in 55 of North Carolina’s counties in December, decreased in 28, and remained unchanged in 17. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 10.2 percent while Watauga County had the lowest at 4.3 percent.
When will North Carolina’s economy return to normal, or at least to a “new normal”? Unfortunately, that destination is many months away, if not years. Still, we’ll know we’re making progress when we can see the most damaging events of 2020 only in our rearview mirrors.
In response to COVID-19, Chief Justice Paul Newby issued an order today further extending time in certain bail bond forfeiture proceedings.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will kick off a new live stream talk series to address and provide updates on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan on Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m.
Top state education leaders joined Governor Roy Cooper today to call on K-12 school districts across the state to allow in-person instruction for all students.
