Afternoon Observer: Feb. 22

Michael McCray
·4 min read

Happy Monday, Charlotte. What questions do you have about the COVID-19 vaccine? Join Charlotte Observer reporters Alison Kuznitz and Hannah Smoot as they speak with Dr. Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg County Deputy Public Health Director, for a free live virtual event at noon on Feb. 24, 2021.

Register here to reserve your spot, and to submit your questions for Dr. Washington in advance.

Without further ado, here’s what you need to know today.

1. Charlotte is nowhere near COVID herd immunity

Only 8.4% of Mecklenburg County residents have received one COVID-19 vaccine. 4.3% have received both. Those figures are well below the threshold of roughly 65-85% of people vaccinated required to reach “herd immunity,” which would help stunt the spread of the coronavirus and provide protection, even for individuals still without inoculations.

Reporter Hannah Smoot highlights these takeaways from local health experts:

  • The exact date for when Mecklenburg County reaches herd immunity is not known and difficult to predict

  • Vaccinations and “subgroup” immunity among health care workers may be already helping

  • Too many people refusing to get vaccinated is an obstacle to reaching herd immunity

  • 2021 will get progressively safer as more people are immunized

While we have a ways to go, there is still a silver lining here: In interviews with the Observer, experts said seeing just half of the population protected will drive down hospitalizations and coronavirus-related deaths.

Read more about herd immunity from Smoot here.

Maura Wozniak poses for a portrait with her daughter, Elinor, in Huntersville, NC, on Thursday, February 18, 2021.
Maura Wozniak poses for a portrait with her daughter, Elinor, in Huntersville, NC, on Thursday, February 18, 2021.

2. NC residents with severe health problems worry about COVID vaccine delays

When vaccines first became available, North Carolina prioritized certain groups of people to get the vaccine first — and people with chronic illnesses were initially in an early group. After the state changed priority orders, thousands of North Carolinians dealing with chronic or even terminal health conditions now must wait until three other groups get vaccines first.

Davidson College Professor Ken Menkhaus, an ALS Association Board of Trustees member, said getting the COVID-19 vaccine is “a matter of life and death” for people with chronic health conditions.

A group of individuals with ALS in N.C. wrote to the NC COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee, asking it to press the state Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider the prioritization plan. North Carolina DHHS did not answer a question from The Observer about whether the state has plans to reassess the priority groups.

Read more about vaccine prioritization from Hannah Smoot here.

3. Who’s in, who’s out and who is still deciding on a 2022 US Senate run in North Carolina?

N.C. Senator Richard Burr’s soon-to-be-open seat for the 2022 election season is attracting plenty of interest from Democrats and Republicans. Who might North Carolinians expect to see on the ballot?

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, former N.C. Sen. Erica Smith and state Sen. Jeff Jackson have already announced their candidacies for the seat.

According to reporter Brian Murphy, other names being floated around include

  • Republican Lara Trump, who is married to former President Donald Trump’s son, Eric

  • U.S. Rep. Ted Budd

  • Former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley

  • Former N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory

Here’s who else might emerge as the election cycle nears.

Coyote Joe’s on Wilkinson Boulevard brings national country artists to Charlotte but has been closed nearly a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Coyote Joe’s on Wilkinson Boulevard brings national country artists to Charlotte but has been closed nearly a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

4. Coyote Joe’s owner vents as COVID closed down his site for nearly a year now

This month, Coyote Joe’s marked its 30th anniversary — but without any celebrating. As the Observer’s Catherine Muccigrosso reports, the iconic country-music themed nightclub remains shuttered due to North Carolina’s COVID-19 restrictions.

“It really bothers me that some of the venues that are allowed to be open, some of these breweries are slammed packed with 200 or 300 people, ” owner Alan Presley said. “And of all the venues in town, we can certainly social distance.”

Presley said the business didn’t apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans last year, but has applied for the second round. They haven’t heard back yet. “Our expenses have kept on keeping on but there’s no clear path to open, that’s the problem,” Presley said.

Read more about the challenges facing Coyote Joe’s and other venues around North Carolina, and what the future might hold.

ONE MORE THING: Who will the Panthers choose in the 2021 NFL draft?

The 2021 NFL draft is a little more than two months away, but speculation is already running high about whom the Panthers will pick. Will it be tight end Kyle Pitts? North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, or Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields?

Check out who the experts are predicting here.

One last thing:

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