Data shows that roughly 3 percent of people living out-of-state were inoculated over the past six weeks, receiving the initial doses of the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer or Moderna. Over 1.38 million Coronavirus vaccines have been administered in North Carolina to healthcare workers and those at least 65 years old.
North Carolina is the fifth state to report a case of the South African variant. Data suggest the mutant strain of COVID-19 may be more contagious than those previously discovered. As of Feb. 11, eleven cases of infection with the variant had been identified in the Carolinas, along with California Maryland and Virginia.
As of Thursday afternoon, 10,226 North Carolinians have died from the virus. A sobering total along with 811,000 cases in less than a year. About 8.9 percent of those cases were reported in Mecklenburg County. North Carolina is the fifteenth state to report over 10,000 deaths.
A lot of time and resources have been put into trying to get this right to eradicate COVID-19. But, at what cost are we still just kicking the can down the road? The nearly $2 trillion proposed by Biden doesn't account for the $11.7 trillion the world has spent to tackle the virus. Several projections predict the COVID-19 pandemic will cost between $15.8 trillion and $24.2 trillion.
One person who strongly disagrees with Cooper's assessment of the state's current education model is Steve Oreskovic. The 25-year veteran middle school teacher, co-chair of the CMS Superintendent's Teacher Advisory Council and member of the CMS Metrics Committee joined WBT's Bo Thompson Morning Show to give his perspective on state officials pushing to reopen schools for in-person instruction.
The proposal would still give parents the all-virtual option for their child, but also gives them the choice to send them to school. It would still require passage through the House and Senate before going to Gov. Roy Cooper's desk, who would like districts to remain fully remote.
As of Friday, North Carolina was in the bottom half for vaccine distribution in the U.S. at No. 25. The efforts are a bit worse in South Carolina, who was ranked 33rd overall. West Virginia and North Dakota have set the standard in the country with 85 percent of vaccines distributed.
The healthcare product manufacturer said that in the U.S. and seven other countries the single-dose vaccine was shown to be 66% effective against moderate and severe cases of COVID-19, and up to 85% against patients with near-death symptoms.
The CDC notified South Carolina health officials that a sample tested at a LabCorp facility was found to be B.1.35 positive as well, the health department said Thursday. At the same time, the state’s own public health lab “identified a separate case of the same variant,” the South Carolina Department of Health said in a statement.
“Our fourth-quarter financial results close out the most challenging year in our company’s history," chairman and CEO Doug Parker said. “However, we couldn’t be prouder of the American Airlines team and the great things they accomplished last year. Through collaboration, resourcefulness and hard work, our team did its part to keep the economy moving. The American team flew more customers than any other airline in 2020, and they did so safely and with the utmost care.
