COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on July 22

We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.

More than 1,400 new cases reported

At least 1,028,131 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 13,550 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,434 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, up from 871 on Tuesday.

Nine additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday. Deaths don’t necessarily occur on the day the state reports them. The state health department revises its daily figures as more information becomes available.

At least 694 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, up from 672 the day before.

As of Monday, the latest day available, 7.9% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.

Roughly 60% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 56% have been fully vaccinated. State health officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.

Delta variant is more prevalent in young people

The more contagious delta variant is spreading largely among children because they are not yet vaccinated, and no COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for children under 12 in the U.S.

David Wohl, a professor of medicine who specializes in infectious diseases at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, told The News & Observer that people who are getting COVID-19 now are “largely younger and younger people.”

Younger people can exhibit “different patterns of symptoms,” but there is little research on how delta infection symptoms differ from other variants, Wohl said.

People who have been vaccinated have a “broader, quicker response” against the delta variant.

“I think that’s why we’re seeing people who have been vaccinated not really getting sick from delta,” Wohl said.

NC adjusts school mask requirements

All elementary and middle school students and staff should be required by their districts to wear face masks, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday.

Under the updated state health guidelines, schools should require students in K-8 to wear masks indoors regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. All other unvaccinated students or staff at all schools should also wear masks, The News & Observer reported.

The current executive order with some pandemic restrictions still in place will expire at the end of the month, Cooper said.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools officials haven’t said whether students and teachers will be required to wear masks when school starts again, saying in a statement Wednesday they will “discuss this guidance and other recommendations provided by leading health professionals and organizations as we finalize decisions related to the opening of school for the upcoming year.”

Cooper’s announcement comes after several people spoke at Wake County’s school board meeting Tuesday and urged officials to not require face masks.

School boards in Randolph and Union counties have passed resolutions calling for optional mask wearing. But some parents have said they are concerned about hospitalizations among the unvaccinated and the threat of the delta variant in the state.

Answers to questions about the updated school mask guidelines can be found here.