Since the new strain of coronavirus was first reported out of Wuhan, China NC Health News reporters have kept our ears open for news of COVID-19 (the official moniker for coronavirus disease 2019). The disease is a novel version of a coronavirus, other examples include SARS, MERS and the common cold. We’ll update this page with each of our stories on the coronavirus pandemic as we publish them. We’re also keeping an eye on the most recent case tally in the state. Visit the timeline at the bottom of the page for more information.
Juvenile detention centers in NC under scrutiny for use of isolation
A federal lawsuit is at the center of claims that the state is putting teenagers in solitary confinement, despite its demonstrated harm. State officials deny the claims but cite strains in the juvenile justice system.
Building the next generation of public health workers
Amid a public health workforce shortage, a program aims to recruit and train new workers to meet urgent public health needs.
People behind bars grapple with relocations, disruptions caused by Helene
Prison advocate groups call for the release of nearly 2,000 incarcerated people to ease overcrowding, improve conditions after the temporary closure of four western North Carolina prisons.
CDC director Mandy Cohen returns to N.C., discusses health and social needs amid election uncertainty
The former DHHS head returned to Raleigh to highlight work to address the social issues that often lead to health inequities.
Building eastern North Carolina’s community health workforce one haircut at a time
Shackle Free Community Outreach Agency’s ‘Buzz’ program gives barbers and beauticians the tools to support the well-being of their clients and their community.
Are ‘good roads’ leading to more speeding deaths in NC?
New study shows the state has one of the nation’s highest rates of speeding-related fatalities.
NC’s unique Medicaid renewal strategy results in minimal issues during ‘unwinding’
While other states slashed Medicaid rolls, North Carolina’s insured population grew — and faster than DHHS had predicted.
No state budget this year means Medicaid could run low
DHHS asked for almost half a billion more dollars to keep up with rising Medicaid costs in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Mask bill questions swirl as N.C. lawmakers weigh veto override
People with immune system deficiencies worry that vague language in the masking bill could be a problem for them.
New CDC head uses COVID-era innovations to tackle bird flu outbreak
Mandy Cohen, former N.C. DHHS secretary, leads federal response to the spread of avian influenza among dairy cows, farm workers
Doctors rail against proposed ban against public masking
The former surgeon general in the Trump administration criticizes N.C. bill that would do away with a pandemic-era law that allowed face masks for public health reasons.
‘Care can’t wait’: Child care advocates rally for funding, support
The expiration of federal funding in June threatens the closure of over 1,500 child care programs affecting nearly 92,000 child care slots, according to a survey commissioned by the North Carolina Child Care Resource & Referral Council.
Child care providers face difficult choices as funding cliff looms
A survey of child care centers released last week shows that without extra pandemic aid, centers expect to lose teachers, close classrooms, raise tuition and fees or a combination of those measures. More than 1,500 child care facilities in North Carolina could close.
Shortage of correctional officers leaves prison staff stretched thin
Staff are the backbone of prison operations, but the state prison system has dealt in recent years with significant vacancy rates and exhausting workloads for remaining workers, forcing operational changes.
COVID, Flu and RSV are all circulating. Plan your vaccines for healthy holidays.
As the weather finally cools and people head indoors, here’s what you need to know about vaccines being offered during respiratory virus season.
Kids in foster care often need mental health care. But options are limited in rural NC
Finding mental health options in rural counties is already difficult, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. But for families seeking mental health help for their foster children, the need is far more pressing and the options are far more limited.
Crisis in children’s mental health takes a heavy toll in rural southeastern NC
Children are dealing with a mental health crisis that experts say is fueled by bullying, the COVID-19 pandemic, discrimination and other stressors. Rural healthcare centers are struggling to keep up with demand for their services.
Covid relief payments triggered feds to demand money back from Social Security recipients
Recipients of covid relief payments say payments have jeopardized their Social Security benefits as government demands repayment.
COVID is still here. Get the new booster, public health experts recommend.
As a new variant shows how masterful the SARS-CoV-2 virus is at evolving, public health advocates tout new COVID vaccines.
Medicaid expansion delay: Patient lives hang in the balance as lawmakers debate budget
Anthony Brooks, a Beaufort County man with a heart condition, is about to lose Medicaid over $7. He’d still be covered if expansion had gone into effect.
Child vaccines due as students return to class. Here’s what you need to know.
As children head back to classrooms for the 2023-24 academic year, pediatricians, schools and health departments are working to get those kids up to date on required vaccinations.
NC jails have arbitrary early release practices for some health conditions, study finds
Sometimes, the needs of their inmates exceed a jail’s available resources, or the nature of the health condition creates a liability risk for the jail, researchers found. This creates a wide variation in how different counties’ jails respond.
New DHHS numbers show thousands of people lost Medicaid in June
As the state starts to recertify all of NC’s Medicaid recipients, many ‘procedural’ problems result in coverage termination.
As funding cliff looms, NC has opportunity to improve child care access, advocates say
A new national report shows the state of the child care system in North Carolina mirrors what’s happening across the country: low worker pay and high tuition negatively affect access to care and quality of care.
A guide to health-related spending in NC Senate and House budget proposals
N.C. lawmakers have similarities and differences among their plans to fund health-related initiatives for the coming two years. Our guide can help you explore how their proposals compare.
Inadequate oversight: Lack of inspectors leaves some nursing home complaints unaddressed for months
A critical shortage of nursing home inspectors and a surge of complaints means some residents wait months for the state to investigate problems.
‘Unwinding’ could undermine Medicaid expansion in North Carolina
DHHS thinks 300,000 could lose coverage following the end of a federal mandate that protected enrollees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What to know about Medicaid unwinding in N.C.
Medicaid enrollees are going through redetermination for the first time in three years. We’re here to help with an FAQ.
Children in crisis: State report card focuses on mental health issues among youth
Data and grades from the NC Child Health Report Card can serve as “an important jumping-off point for essential work in our state,” said Luna Homsi, a health policy analyst with NC Child.
Health providers sometimes ignore mental health patients’ documented wishes during treatment
People with mental illness are encouraged to set up psychiatric advance directives so their preferences are taken into account during a mental health crisis, but many providers are unaware of them.
Panel looks at how to improve child care access in NC
COVID-19 exacerbated child care access issues, report shows.
What’s coming in 2023 in NC’s health care scene? Here’s what we’ll be tracking.
Emerging stories include addressing a health care worker shortage, cleaning waterways of contaminants, tracking legislation on abortion, Medicaid and aging issues and more.
What did you read on NC Health News in 2022?
These are the stories that grabbed readers and got the most traffic during the past year.
Duke officials: Creating community during pandemic required constant adjustment
How did students and administrators help the student body find community and take care during the pandemic, while also taking care of themselves?
Duke’s performing artists find audiences in new places during pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic and the related lockdowns and limitations on gathering shut down the performing arts almost overnight. How to reach audiences – old and new – when they can’t come together?
Duke’s visual artists get even more creative during lockdown
What’s it like for a visual artist and hands-on art teacher to be suddenly thrust into a virtual world? Tyler Edwards, Duke University 2022 Science and the Public certificate graduate, found out during these interviews with a group of visual artists and instructors.
COVID hospitalization levels for NC’s oldest old exceed pre-vaccine period
Even though older North Carolinians are well covered with the initial COVID vaccines, waning immunity and new waves of infection have contributed to hospitalizations and deaths.
Amid the trials of long COVID, glimmers of hope at UNC clinic
Some North Carolinians have endured COVID and its long-haul aftermath for two harrowing years. A clinic at UNC keeps up with cutting-edge research and tailored therapies in hopes of finding solutions.
Durham 11-year-old was sexually assaulted in NC psychiatric hospital, parents allege
A young girl at risk for suicide was sent to a hospital that was supposed to help her, instead her parents say she was hurt further by the mental health system. Now they’re pushing for reform.
Should I skip the Thanksgiving gathering if I feel sick?
COVID isn’t making people as sick, but it’s not the only respiratory virus circulating. How should you think about protecting yourself and your loved ones?
Sick profit: Investigating private equity’s stealthy takeover of health care across cities and specialties
Deep-pocketed private equity firms plowed $206 billion into more than 1,400 health care acquisitions in 2021 alone.
Hospitals are swamped with kids battling respiratory viruses that aren’t COVID
After several years where the attention for respiratory diseases was mostly on the coronavirus, more common bugs are making a comeback.
Sleep experts caution against melatonin supplements for small children
While it’s tempting to give kids a supplement, it turns out better sleep habits are more helpful than melatonin, which can cause issues in children.
State’s free and charitable clinics chart vision for health equity
New hires and clinic initiatives are pushing health equity to the forefront.
Shifting strategies for monkeypox vaccines
Public health leaders are reaching out to community groups to help educate those at risk for monkeypox and get them vaccinated.
Q & A with Dr. Wohl: What to expect from Omicron-specific COVID boosters
David Wohl, a UNC Health physician, talks about the bivalent vaccines and COVID-19 two and a half years into the coronavirus pandemic.
Meet Mary Wakefield, the nurse administrator tasked with revamping the CDC
Mary Wakefield, formerly the deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, is next in line to oversee major changes to the government organization.
NC students fell behind in required vaccinations during the pandemic. Some – not all – are catching up.
In one NC county, more than 73 percent of high school seniors don’t have required immunizations. But state health officials are optimistic overall.
Big changes are needed to turn the tide of North Carolina’s mental health crisis, health leaders say
For North Carolinians to have affordable access to readily available mental health services, health leaders say a cascade of changes need to take place from Medicaid expansion to higher reimbursement rates for providers.
New mental health data show ‘unsustainable’ burden on NC hospitals
Rising mental health-related emergency room visits, more involuntary commitments and longer wait times for psychiatric hospital beds are symptoms of much larger problems within the state’s mental health system, health experts say.
What happens in NC now that the COVID state of emergency has expired?
The COVID state of emergency offered temporary protections to health care facilities and providers.
Samaritan House in Charlotte offers respite care for the homeless
As advocates for the homeless push for more respite care centers, Samaritan House in Charlotte is a trailblazer.
What does ‘back to normal’ mean for people hit hardest by the pandemic?
People with disabilities and low-income people experienced higher death rates during the pandemic. Those inequities should be addressed, advocates say.
Medicaid patients and county workers brace for the end of the COVID public health emergency
Throughout the pandemic, people have been allowed to remain on Medicaid regardless of changes to their income. In October, that’ll likely change. County workers and patients worry about the fallout.
Monkeypox straining already overstretched public health system
State and local public health agencies, still busy with COVID-19, now must contend with another rapidly spreading viral outbreak.
Trusted community messengers, data key in North Carolina’s journey to vaccine equity
The state’s vaccine rollout which centered on equity garners national attention, even from the White House.
A new clinic to meet WNC Latinos’ medical, mental and social health needs
Since 2004, Vecinos, a community health organization in western NC, has served Latino farmworkers. A new multi-million dollar project and partnership with other organizations will mean all low-income Latinos in the region will soon have easier access to care.
Youth mental health crisis is “the next wave of the pandemic,” Duke psychiatrist says
The pandemic has magnified how fragile mental health is for many children and adolescents.
Health Care Half Hour – The future of nursing homes
What has the pandemic taught us about the needs of nursing homes and their residents going into the future?
Congress passes a bill with provisions to save pandemic-era universal free school lunches
The recently passed Keep Kids Fed Act offers an expansion on pre-pandemic benefits.
NC pediatricians gear up for giving COVID-19 shots to infants, toddlers
COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed across North Carolina for children as young as 6 months old. Some parents are more excited than others.
When a loved one dies at a nursing home, families face mazes and mirages in search for answers
Long-term care experts who created a national report say consumers need full information about nursing homes, how they treat residents, how they make money and how they are regulated by state and federal authorities.
New study asks Black and Latino residents who had COVID-19 in pandemic’s first year about their experience
Much research has documented how the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately hit Black and Latino residents. Fewer studies asked them what that experience was like.
Prisons were some of the hardest hit places during the pandemic. What are the next steps forward?
The pandemic proved that, despite brick walls and barbed-wire fences, incarcerated people are part of the community.
NC public health workers draw road map for years ahead
Medicaid expansion plays a key role in how much funding will be available to address needs in a post-COVID health care climate.
Billions in federal funds may make rural hospitals look more stable than they really are
While federal funding helped keep rural hospitals afloat throughout the pandemic, researchers worry about a wave of closures once the money goes away.
North Carolina nurses press for fixes in the health care system during D.C. march
Most nurses in attendance cited unsafe staffing levels that jeopardized both patient care and their own professional licenses and, often, their physical safety.
N.C. nursing shortage likely to increase, report shows. Can community colleges help?
North Carolina could be among the top five states for nursing shortages by 2026 if current trends continue.
NC advocates work to reduce HIV transmission and stigma
HIV testing may have gone down during COVID, but that doesn’t mean it has not been transmitted across communities in North Carolina.
You can get Botox at your dentist’s office now
The North Carolina dental board issues guidance for how botulinum toxin can be used by dentists in this state.
With implicit bias hurting patients, some states train doctors
Some states have begun trying to help medical providers stop acting on implicit bias.
Uncertainty over pandemic’s end complicates NC’s Medicaid budget
With extra people on the rolls, North Carolina’s Medicaid looks like it will be over budget. But lawmakers are giving the program some latitude as the pandemic raises costs.
OSHA and USDA should have done more to protect meatpacking workers, report says
An Office of Inspector General report concluded the two agencies could have done more to protect meatpackers from contracting Covid-19. The industry was among the hardest-hit sectors in the early months of the pandemic.
Refurbished walkers and wheelchairs fill gaps created by supply chain problems
Medical equipment reuse programs collect, clean, and lend devices — often at no cost to the borrower. Such programs save low-income and uninsured patients money, and by refurbishing used medical equipment, they keep it out of landfills.
Postpartum Medicaid to be extended for pregnant people to one year after birth
The change allows pregnant people to be covered for a variety of services — including dental, vision and mental health services.
Restorative justice solutions for youth are growing abroad, can they become part of the mix in the U.S.
As schools have returned to in-person instruction, advocates for children say they’re starting to see an uptick in juvenile justice complaints. We look at how diversion works in other countries.
COVID-19 in NC: What now?
Here’s what you need to know as COVID cases continue to decrease in NC, even as a new variant is causing an uptick of cases in Europe.
CDC’s wastewater surveillance system serves as early COVID detection
The early detection system that’s proven to be a valuable tool in predicting COVID-19 trends could soon expand.
Coronavirus Today – March 17 ‘The worst is behind us,’ NC and COVID
Gov. Roy Cooper and DHHS Sec. Kody Kinsley chart a new pandemic course as COVID-19 cases decrease and call for continued federal support.
Back to school: Advocates worry about pandemic’s impact on most vulnerable youth in the justice system
School-based juvenile justice complaints decreased when children were not in school during the pandemic, but what about now?
Congestion, fever and vomit… oh my! Other viruses are back.
As pandemic restrictions loosen, we could see more non-COVID viruses, particularly among toddlers.
Should NC worry about omicron BA.2?
NC medical experts see mixed evidence, but point to experience of places where BA.2 has become prevalent without causing a major surge.
Within a decade, NC could be short more than 21,000 nurses
In the same week as a statewide nursing organization published survey results showing high levels of burnout among RNs, a researcher painted a grim picture of future staffing to lawmakers.
Coronavirus Today – Feb. 17 Making masks for school children optional
Gov. Roy Cooper and his top public health official encourage the lifting of indoor mask requirements in schools and most other indoor settings.
State health leaders discuss COVID exit strategy, mental health need
At Sec. Kody Kinsley’s first showing at the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, he highlighted the agency’s efforts to work past COVID and focus on issues exacerbated by years of pandemic life.
Rate of New COVID Infections Falls 40% in Rural Counties
Two weeks after rates started falling in metropolitan America, the number of rural cases is falling, too. But rural deaths rose 13% while metropolitan deaths fell slightly.
Breaking Point: What is the future of COVID and incarceration?
Two years of COVID has broken down prisoners and carceral systems. Advocates have called for decarceration as a long-term solution.
COVID-19 Q&A – Your questions answered
Want to ask a question about the novel coronavirus? Leave us a message here.