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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.
Flu brings fear of ‘twindemic’ in NC
Health officials urge vaccination against influenza and COVID-19 to avoid respiratory illnesses.
Prisoners on work release fear bringing in COVID from the outside, then spreading it inside
Incarcerated people on work release are deemed safe enough by the prison system to work in the outside world, but they still face the dangers of a COVID outbreak should they bring COVID back with them.
Coronavirus Today – Dec 14: One year with COVID-19 vaccine
As Mandy Cohen prepares to leave DHHS for rest and new opportunity, she gives her final COVID briefing to North Carolina and reporters.
Everything you need to know about Omicron: Q&A with UNC infectious disease expert
Tips for how to stay safe, whether or not to travel and what exactly is going on with the new variant.
Health secretary Mandy Cohen resigns, governor taps a successor
She led the state Department of Health and Human Services through massive changes to Medicaid and a historic pandemic.
Coronavirus Today – Nov 30: What is and isn’t known about Omicron variant
DHHS Sec. Mandy Cohen gets out her charts and graphs per usual as she plans to leave her job in a month.
NC’s perennially popular senior centers eye post-COVID changes, modernized approaches
After shutting down during the pandemic, North Carolina’s senior centers are going through some self-examination. Leaders want to learn which of their COVID-fueled innovations will continue to work, and which other offerings need to change with the times.
Religious burial rituals slowly resuming after shift forced by pandemic
During times of peak hospitalizations and deaths during the past pandemic year, there’s been a lot of coverage of how morticians were overloaded. But how did the pandemic affect religious communities that have specific rituals around preparing bodies for burial?
Why you can’t find cheap at-home COVID tests
Nearly two years into the pandemic, U.S. consumers have few options for cheap tests that quickly screen for infection, though they are widely available in Europe.
State budget funds some mental health crisis response and hospital diversion efforts
The budget includes funding to divert mental health patients from emergency rooms, adds slots for enhanced services for people with disabilities plus several smaller allocations to treat opioid addiction.
COVID funds beef up health care spending in proposed state budget, which still lacks Medicaid expansion
The $25.9 billion dollar plan allows for historic rates of investment using federal dollars. But some long-held health policy goals remain out of reach.
Rural NC hospital opens more psychiatric beds to meet rising mental health need
A hospital in Avery County is converting regular hospital beds to psychiatric beds as the number of behavioral health referrals increases in the region.
Children and COVID-19 vaccine FAQ
Find answers to common questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children 5 to 11 in North Carolina.
Q & A about booster shots with a Duke infectious disease expert
With Thanksgiving coming up, we asked medicine professor Cameron Wolfe all your questions about booster shots, what they are and whether you should get one.
COVID antibody tests won’t tell you what you want to know
COVID-19 vaccinations cause the body to generate antibodies to fight the disease, but antibody tests to determine whether someone has immunity against the virus do not provide the answers many patients are seeking.
Coronavirus Today – Nov 10 – Mandy Cohen and her daughters share their COVID vaccine experience
Parents have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for younger children. Top public health officials have answers.
Now that children aged 5 to 11 can get COVID vaccines, pediatrician offices are busy, busy, busy.
As younger children get vaccinated, questions arise about the coming holidays.
El índice de vacunación entre los residentes latinos de Carolina del Norte es más alto que el de la población no hispana
Los residentes hispanos en Carolina del Norte pasaron de tener una de las tasas de vacunación más bajas a una de las más altas. ¿Cómo fue posible?
North Carolina’s Latino residents are more vaccinated than the non-hispanic population
Hispanic residents in NC went from having one of the lowest vaccination rates to one of the highest. How did that happen?
NC Health News gets a new look
The new website will give readers better access to our 12 areas of health coverage and 10-year archive of local health news.
Nurses are exhausted: ‘We’ve been in this war for almost two years now’
A September survey by the North Carolina Nurses Association found that, among more than 450 respondents, the majority reported feeling additional stress and burnout due to the pandemic and nursing shortage. Around 58 percent of respondents reported experiencing shortages in their workplace.
Coronavirus Today – Oct 27 Waiting for greenlight to get COVID vaccines into arms of children, ages 5 to 11; What about a booster?
North Carolina’s COVID trends and metrics are moving in the right direction as a vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds is on the horizon.
A historic increase in food stamp benefits began this month. Will it be enough?
As food prices rise, North Carolinians who benefit from SNAP will see more in their monthly payments to better reflect the cost of a healthy, practical diet.
NC Veterans Nursing Home managers get a new contract, profit boost, despite managing homes where COVID deaths took place
A new contract for PruittHealth, the company that manages North Carolina’s four veterans nursing homes, increases its five-year fee from $29 million from $18.5 million during its last full term.
Traveling nurses help rural hospital staffing issues, but at a cost
Hiring temporary staff to fill in the gaps often costs hospitals much more than paying for local, permanent employees.
Pandemic babies: how are they developing in a world upended by COVID?
Researchers are tracking how babies born shortly before and during the pandemic are developing both socially and emotionally.
Unchecked growth of industrial animal farms spurs long fight for environmental justice in Eastern NC
As large-scale hog and poultry industries continue to grow in eastern North Carolina, local residents push back against decades of air and water pollution.
UNC leads training of NC college students, faculty to connect peers to mental health resources
The UNC system’s Mental Health First Aid training program aims to teach students across NC university and community college campuses to recognize signs of mental health issues and link others to help.
Their father survived 9/11, but could not beat COVID
A family recalls the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, showing the great strides made in treating and preventing severe illness.
Feds put ‘special focus’ on 10 NC nursing homes with sketchy performance records
Nursing homes that fail to provide adequate care over extended periods can be named a “special focus” facility by regulators. That can mean more frequent inspections, penalties of escalating size, and the possibility of losing Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Businesses seek to support employees struggling with depression, anxiety
At a statewide meeting, business and health leaders addressed the pandemic-induced mental health crisis and talked about ways to encourage employees to get vaccinated.
Postpartum Medicaid benefits could be extended to one year in budget
Advocates are hoping a provision that extends Medicaid benefits for pregnant people to one year will make it in the finalized budget, especially since those benefits are currently extended due to the pandemic emergency order.
Praising the role of community health workers in COVID-19 response
A Duke physician lifts up community health workers in a congressional hearing
COVID-19 didn’t help the North Carolina nursing shortage
There’s been a lot of talk about nurses who are burned out from treating patients with COVID-19, but the real causes of a looming shortage lie with education — and it gets worse.
Changes for NC’s state veterans nursing homes proposed in pending budget bill
A year after 39 veterans died from COVID in NC’s veterans nursing homes, legislators are proposing a probe of veteran care.
In a global pandemic, Afghan refugees in NC face a challenging health care system
The U.S. health care system can be confusing even for people who grew up in this country. Imagine being new here and trying to navigate it.
Questions about COVID testing in NC prisons cause confusion, fear for inmates
Prisoners reported that vaccinated people who were exposed to COVID were not tested for the virus. Prison leaders have been unclear on their testing policies.
N.C. communities set to get relief from water and sewer woes, but is the money being appropriated fairly?
The legislature plans to spend $1.58 billion of American Rescue Plan money on water and sewer improvements, but only 14 of 115 communities designated as distressed would get funding earmarks under state House and Senate budget proposals.
Coronavirus Today – Sept 21 Asking faith leaders for help with COVID vaccines; ‘Threats, bullying’ at school board meetings
Gov. Roy Cooper decried the ‘fevered pitch’ at board meetings as schools revisit mask requirements.
Rural COVID-death rate twice as high as urban one
The rural death rate has been slightly higher than the urban rate for much of the pandemic. But something changed in August.
COVID tests are available. You just have to know where to look.
The Delta variant and reopening of schools has many on the hunt for COVID tests.
Rural North Carolina hospital leader emerges as outspoken critic of COVID ‘noise’
Fueled by desperation, an exhausted staff and her upcoming retirement, Anderson has emerged among the state’s health care leaders as a Facebook-posting, say-it-how-it-is advocate for COVID vaccines and a fighter against misinformation, conspiracy theories and political divides.
Coronavirus Today – September 9 – More than 15,000 COVID deaths; Cases up in children
Gov. Roy Cooper makes another push for vaccination, citing North Carolina’s COVID-19 negative trends.
COVID Delta variant Q&A with virologist Lisa Gralinski
She’s been studying coronaviruses for more than a decade, but she’s been learning a lot in the past year, and has thoughts on where we’re going.
Rural hospitals can’t find the nurses they need to fight COVID
Recent estimates from UNC Chapel Hill projects North Carolina will have a deficit of 10,000 nurses by 2033, a situation that could worsen if more nurses – burned out from the pandemic – retire early.
Llamadas automáticas de la escuela sobre casos de COVID-19 causan confusión a los padres
Preguntas sobre cómo hacerse un test, cuánto tiempo los niños deben dejar de ir de la escuela y cuáles son las reglas a seguir resulta confuso para personas con buen acceso a la información. Para padres latinos y otros inmigrantes es aún más difícil.
Those school robocalls about a COVID case leave parents confused
Finding testing, knowing how long to keep a child out of school and what the rules are confuses professionals with inside knowledge. Latino and other immigrant parents find it even more difficult.
Weary rural health care workers seeing more and sicker patients
With nowhere to send a surge of patients, rural hospitals are turning to telehealth, hospital-at-home measures and new therapies. Meanwhile, hospitals fear vaccine mandate could chip away at staff.
N.C. kids are going back to school. How many 12- to 17-year-olds are vaccinated?
Students ages 12 and up can get the Pfizer vaccine, but as of July 21, only 24% of North Carolinians aged 12-17 were fully vaccinated, according to state Secretary of Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen. By Aug. 16, that number has edged up to 29.3%.
Even the governor has to show proof of his COVID-19 vaccination at this pizza restaurant
In Orange County, where nearly 77 percent of the population has had a vaccination, Pizzeria Mercato requires indoor guests and staff to show proof they’ve had their jabs.
NC prisons and jails reporting increased COVID cases amidst Delta surge
Since last week, 98 new positive COVID cases were reported across the state’s jails, and there were 78 positive cases reported in the prisons as of Aug. 26.
Pandemic cut a deep swath through NC’s centers for people with intellectual, developmental disabilities
COVID-19 was reported in more than 1,100 residents, many with profound disabilities, and staff. Public health leaders want to learn lessons from the rampage, which came at higher rates than in the other states’ facilities.
N.C. expected to remove lead, asbestos from public schools and child care centers
Gov. Roy Cooper and members of the House and Senate all call for spending at least $150 million in federal money to remove lead from drinking water in schools and centers, as well as asbestos and lead paint.
More money to science and health studies, thanks to COVID-19
COVID-19 research highlights the hurdles of getting government funding, as well as the benefits.
Entrevista con el Doctor David Wohl sobre la variante Delta
El médico especialista en enfermedades infecciosas de la UNC lucha desde hace décadas contra el VIH y el SIDA. Durante el último año y medio, ha liderado la investigación y el tratamiento del COVID-19.
The 2021 NCGA Senate and House budgets compared
Both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly propose spending around $25.7 billion, with some of the biggest ticket items coming in health and human services.
Coronavirus Today – August 18 Vaccine boosters coming in the fall; Masking debate in K-12
The Delta variant puts North Carolina in a precarious position.
Navigating the fall semester: Contrasts between private and public college campuses
Vaccines, COVID tests and mental health are top of mind for many college students, faculty and administrators
COVID vaccinations are climbing, slowly, in rural North Carolina. But skepticism remains
New COVID cases have been surging in southeastern North Carolina, as they have across the state and the country, putting another strain on hospitals that hoped to be in the homestretch of the pandemic.
Amid rising numbers of NC COVID-19 cases, uncertainties over seniors’ safety take hold
The coronavirus Delta variant throws seniors and long-term care facilities back to increased vigilance and fear.
COVID Delta variant Q & A with Dr. David Wohl
The UNC infectious disease physician has spent decades fighting HIV and AIDS. For the past year and a half, he’s been on the frontlines of researching and treating COVID.
The Gambia and North Carolina — 4,000 miles apart with one thing in common
COVID-19 knows no boundaries and continues to bedevil the world.
Controversial child vaccine permission bill would also expand access to HIV meds and birth control
House Bill 96 gives pharmacists the ability to administer more injections, but it takes away the ability for teens to get a COVID shot on their own.
NC House counters Senate budget with more funding for mental health, home and community services
But the budget presented Thursday morning still lacks any expansion of the Medicaid program, a policy that’s become a Holy Grail for Democrats, Cooper.
Coronavirus Today – August 4 Winston-Salem 18-year-old wins $1 million vaccine lottery; Mask debate in K-12 schools
As the Delta variant sickens many quickly, vaccinations become an urgent mission.
Delta compels local health departments to pivot – again.
Eighteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delta variant is forcing public health workers to accelerate their work, for what they hope will be the last time.
Coronavirus Today – July 29 Governor to require state workers in his cabinet to show proof of vaccination or wear masks and get tested
As the Delta variant becomes a ‘monster,’ the push for vaccinating the unvaccinated gains urgency.
Covid-19 Delta variant affects younger, unvaccinated populations in North Carolina
Pediatric cases on the rise as vaccine trials for children continue. Children under the age of 12 remain unvaccinated as COVID vaccines are not yet approved for them.
Coronavirus Today – July 21 – New COVID recommendations for schools: Mask up in K-8, more leeway for vaccinated high school students.
As the Delta variant pushes case numbers up in North Carolina, new guidance issued for K-12 schools.
Even before coronavirus, almost half of adults in rural areas went without dental care
Rural adults are less likely than their urban peers to see a dentist for preventative treatments, according to the CDC.
In North Carolina’s mountains, broadband isn’t a given
The state’s Appalachian region lags behind the rest of the state in internet connection recent data from the Appalachian Regional Commission shows.
As a blood shortage unfolds in NC, many gay and bisexual men are still barred from donating
Despite the 2020 update to FDA guidelines allowing men who have sex with men to donate blood after three celibate months, many are still powerless to assist in the national blood shortage.
Masks for some (not all): Gyms navigate murky vaccine terrain as exercise classes fill up
As coronavirus mask mandates lift and clients rush back to in-person gatherings, gym staff across North Carolina wrestle with enforcing different policies for all their clients – whether vaccinated or not.
Over half of adults unvaccinated for COVID-19 fear needles – here’s what’s proven to help
Even for those who want immunity, bribes with beer or lottery tickets may not be enough to override anxiety made worse by pervasive images of needles in the media.
‘Behavioral health emergency’: NC health organizations ask state leaders for help
The heightened demand for behavioral health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic is crashing down on North Carolina’s already fractured mental health system. Hospitals and health leaders are calling for emergency help.
Vaccine and a haircut? Could be!
The owner of The Bar Ber Shop in Raleigh, a community hub that often addresses public health concerns, says he’s up for hosting COVID vaccine clinics.
State Senate presents budget, with a bump up in spending for health and human services
The budget proposal expands Medicaid coverage for postpartum women, but leaves many other uninsured North Carolinians behind.
North Carolina petition to curb carbon dioxide emissions advances
The Environmental Management Commission is set to consider whether the state should join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which has led to a 47 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in other eastern states.
Proposed law could make life easier for North Carolina’s foster parents
After passing the House, foster parents hope lawmakers in the Senate will greenlight a bill that will help grant them more rights.
Expanding medication-assisted therapy training for health care professionals
The opioid overdose crisis has highlighted the need for more medication-assisted therapy.
Coronavirus Today – June 10 — Your chance to win!! NC has a vaccine lottery with million dollar prizes and college money.
While fighting to move beyond the coronavirus pandemic, North Carolina’s public health team has been transforming the Medicaid system, too.
In Pitt County, they’re saying yes to home COVID testing
As the COVID-19 vaccination rate slows, and cash incentives are offered, researchers are studying the impact of home testing to stave off further virus spread.
Proposed bills would bump up pay for people caring for NC’s most vulnerable
Lawmakers look to address the staffing crisis and increasing pay for those working in direct care facilities. This could help patients with various conditions receive the care they need.
UNC professor, state track COVID-19 trends in wastewater
Researchers at University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences began more than a year ago tracking in wastewater the virus that causes COVID-19, just as the pandemic was beginning to sweep across the globe.
This nursing student had doubts about her career choice during COVID-19
NC community college and university administrators say it’s too soon to know how the coronavirus pandemic affected interest in health-related fields. Some say the pandemic cemented their choices.
Coronavirus Today – June 2 — Cash for COVID-19 vaccines; Staving off evictions; GOP panel nixes governor’s environmental pick
Gov. Roy Cooper discusses vaccine incentives, housing aid and his nomination for DEQ.
COVID-19 Q&A – Your questions answered
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