Unvaccinated ‘400% more likely’ to get COVID, NC leaders say as vaccinations urged

People who have not been vaccinated are 400% more likely to contract COVID-19 than those who are vaccinated, North Carolina health officials said Wednesday.

Though the state struggles against the steepest rise in cases since the pandemic began, Gov. Roy Cooper said he will not enact any statewide mandates.

“This not where we want to be, but we have a sure way out: vaccines,” Cooper said in a Wednesday press briefing.

“People, business, schools know what to do with masks and safety protocols,” Cooper said.

Cooper has previously called the most recent wave of cases a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” The News & Observer reported this week that more than 90% of patients at UNC Medical Center who are hospitalized because of COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Vaccinations are free and available throughout the state.

But so far, he has not called for reinstating statewide COVID-19 protocols, such as universal mask mandates or capacity restrictions, and instead has said he wants a laser focus on vaccinating people. The state has provided incentives, such as a vaccine lottery, a scholarship lottery and $100 cash cards.

But Wednesday, repeatedly questioned about his decision against statewide mask mandates, the governor said, “All options remain on the table.”

Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said the rise in COVID-19 is the fastest since the pandemic began and could pass the January peak in a few weeks. She said trends would look significantly worse if there weren’t vaccinations. In North Carolina, 56% of people age 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

Positive test results have been higher than 10% throughout August, doubling the rate state health officials want. Cohen noted unvaccinated residents are 400% more likely to get the virus.

“We have the tools to save lives,” Cohen said. “To weather this storm, vax up.”

Shift to local policy

In late July, Cooper let statewide executive orders related to the pandemic expire, shifting policy from the state to local governments.

“You get more effective buy-in when it is done at the local level,” Cooper said Wednesday.

That’s a shift that’s still in place, and Cooper said he is encouraged by more school districts recently implementing mask mandates in schools.

The statewide mask mandate was lifted in May after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidance. The CDC later said, as the delta variant spread, that masks should be worn in areas with significant spread.

Since then, municipalities including Raleigh, Durham and Cary have instated their own mask mandates for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people indoors.

On Wednesday, Wake County and several municipalities said they also would require masks beginning Friday at 7 a.m. The order requires people to wear a mask in public, commercial and public spaces, including businesses, regardless of their vaccination status.

Garner, Knightdale, Morrisville, Rolesville and Zebulon all joined Wake County in its mask mandate. The Wake County towns that are not following the county requirements are Apex, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Wake Forest and Wendell, though businesses may enact their own mask rules.

Cohen said she wears her mask in all indoor settings, as the CDC recommends. She said that masks, along with vaccinations, are a layering of protections. She said that it is possible, though “much more rare,” to get COVID-19 if you are vaccinated. She said wearing a mask is also about protecting people who are immunocompromised and children too young to be vaccinated.

On Wednesday, Cooper touted the increasing number of employers and businesses requiring vaccinations.

The governor has begun requiring most state employees to either show proof of vaccination or be subject to regular COVID-19 testing. Several private employers in the state and across the country also require vaccinations, as do organizers for events like concerts, including the World of Bluegrass Festival coming to Raleigh in September. The festival is requiring audiences at indoor and ticketed concerts to be vaccinated, The News & Observer previously reported.

Some other states, including New Mexico this week, have reinstated mask mandates indoors.

Pandemic of the unvaccinated

In late July, Cooper told reporters that “after months of low numbers, our trends have turned sharply in the wrong direction ... I want to be clear about why: Unvaccinated people are driving this resurgence and getting themselves and other people sick.”

The state offered a vaccination lottery this summer to encourage adults and youth to get vaccinated.

Cooper announced the final $1 million vaccine lottery winner Wednesday: Lilly Fowler, a senior at N.C. State University.

The state’s last scholarship award for people getting COVID-19 shots went to Breelyn Dean, a high school sophomore in Garner with a 4.0 grade-point average.

“It’s a personal choice,” said Fowler, asked by Cooper to explain her decision to get vaccinated. “Just do your research with sources you deem reliable.”

N.C. DHHS reported Wednesday that 56% eligible residents older than 12 are fully vaccinated.

There were 5,256 new cases Wednesday. DHHS reported 57 deaths due to COVID-19, but the dates of death are not provided.

The health department also reported 2,930 COVID-19-related hospitalizations statewide on Wednesday. That’s the most since Jan. 29, The News & Observer reported. Of those who are hospitalized, 728 are in intensive care units.

Masks in schools

The news briefing comes as the largest school district in the state, Wake County Public Schools System, prepares to start the traditional calendar school year on Aug. 23. Vaccine is only available to youth age 12 and older. WCPSS has a mask mandate for teachers, students, staff and visitors at all schools, regardless of vaccination status.

Asked about mandating vaccines for teachers, Cooper said he’ll continue to work with the state and local education leaders about getting the message out about how important it is for educators to be vaccinated. He said that, like other statewide options, a requirement is “on the table” but not being enacted at this time.

As of Wednesday, 71 of the state’s 115 school district had mandated masks for students and staff, while 44 will leave face coverings optional. Cooper said that Harnett County, still in the optional category, may be changing course.

“We want schools to educate children, not become hotspots for the virus,” Cooper said.