COVID vaccine live updates: Here’s what to know in North Carolina on May 16
We’re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Cases surpass 989,000
At least 989,338 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,862 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,501 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, up from 1,394 reported the day before.
Nine additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Friday. Deaths don’t all occur on the day the state reports them. The state health department revises its daily figures as information becomes available.
At least 926 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Friday, a slight increase from 925 the day before.
As of Wednesday, the latest day for which data is available, 3.8% of coronavirus tests were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.
Roughly 51% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 45.9% are fully vaccinated as of Thursday.
The state health department did not update its COVID-19 dashboard Saturday and will not update it Sunday.
Not everyone ready to go maskless after Cooper lifts mandate
Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday lifted North Carolina’s mask mandate in many settings.
The change came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people could resume activities without wearing a mask or social distancing. In North Carolina, masks will still be required on public transportation, in child care centers, schools, camps, prisons and certain health care settings.
The state health department still recommends that people who have not been vaccinated continue to wear masks, and many businesses still require them.
But some people in the state are continuing to wear masks despite the change.
At The Raleigh Market on Saturday, some attendees were still wearing masks outside.
“I’m going to keep my mask on,” Pat Parker told The News & Observer. “I’m middle age, and I want to make sure I keep healthy.”
Indian community in the Triangle suffers losses as COVID surges
India has reported more than 24 million COVID-19 cases and more than 260,000 deaths.
It’s second in the world in cases, behind the United States, and third in the world for coronavirus-related deaths, behind the United States and Brazil. About 40 million people out of the country’s more than 1.4 billion had been fully vaccinated as of May 13, according to Harvard University’s tracker.
A variant of the virus that that spreads more easily and may resist vaccines has also emerged in India.
In the Triangle, those in the Indian community say they they don’t know anyone with family in India who has not been affected, The N&O reports.
Anuja Purohit’s aunt’s family tested positive for COVID-19 in New Delhi, but their children were living abroad and unable to care for them.
“We’re in anguish because they couldn’t be there in person to help their parents in their greatest time of need,” Purohit told The N&O.
