Coronavirus omicron updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on Jan. 19
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
State reaches 20,000 coronavirus-related deaths
At least 2,130,403 coronavirus cases have been reported in North Carolina, and at least 20,000 people have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, Jan. 18, reported 31,902 new COVID-19 cases, up from 22,308 the day before. The state didn’t update case counts over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, and officials said data on Jan. 18 would be higher due to case metrics that previously hadn’t been tallied.
At least 4,630 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 on Jan. 18, up from 4,467 the day before. Ninety-seven coronavirus-related deaths were also added.
As of Jan. 16, the latest date with available information, 33.3% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 74% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 70% have been fully vaccinated. Of the state’s total population, about 59% are fully vaccinated and 64% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.
More than 2.7 million ”additional/booster” doses have been administered in North Carolina as of Jan. 18, the health department said. Health officials have urged those who are eligible to get boosted, as data suggests it offers increased protection against the omicron coronavirus variant.
About 99% of all new COVID-19 cases in the Southeast were attributed to the omicron variant as of Jan. 15, the latest date for which data is available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How to spot N95 fakes
State and federal guidelines recommend using N95 or KN95 face masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, which health experts say are more effective than cloth masks.
Experts say surgical masks offer the next best level of protection if an N95 or KN95 isn’t available, The News & Observer reported.
Increased demand for those specific masks has also led to an influx of fakes on the market. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are multiple signs a mask may be counterfeit — including a lack of markings on the respirator, no approval number on the respirator or headband, no NIOSH markings or NIOSH spelled incorrectly.
More information about N95s and KN95s can be found here.
How to sign up for free at-home COVID tests
The federal government will send rapid at-home COVID-19 tests as part of President Joe Biden’s initiative to increase testing access.
Tests were initially scheduled to become available for order online at COVIDTests.gov on Wednesday, Jan. 19, but the site is currently accepting orders as part of its soft launch, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Each household can order up to four test kits, which will ship through the U.S. Postal Service within 7 to 12 days once ordered.
Wake elementary school switches to remote instruction
Knightdale Elementary School in Wake County is switching to online learning Wednesday, Jan. 19 because of staffing shortages and an influx of student absences due to COVID-19.
School officials said they hope to return to in-person instruction by Thursday, Jan. 20, The News & Observer reported.
Lisa Luten, a district spokeswoman, told The N&O that Knightdale Elementary is the only school in the district switching to remote instruction because of COVID-19. Caroll Middle School in Raleigh previously made the switch on Friday, Jan. 14, because of COVID-19 issues but will reopen for in-person learning Jan. 19.
Charlotte-area schools continue to face coronavirus-related absences
Icy roads led Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to call off classes on Jan. 18, a break that came at a good time for a district facing coronavirus-related absences.
In the past week, hundreds of workers in the district were in quarantine and several students who may have been exposed to COVID-19 were told to stay away from school.
“I often see signs in front yards of folks that I know work in the health care industry that say ‘heroes work here,’” said Margaret Marshall, a board member for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. “We need to put that in every educator’s yard, every bus driver’s yard, every person who’s running masks to school, everybody who’s involved in education right now because they are heroes.”
