Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A pharmacist in a white coat grabs an asthma inhaler

The steep cost of breathing

February 26, 2021 by Liora Engel-Smith Leave a Comment

The steep cost of breathing - North Carolina Health News

Most asthma inhalers are expensive even with insurance. A complicated system of manufacturer coupons, copay, and prescription assistance programs helps some -- but not all -- patients stay out of the hospital.

By Liora Engel-Smith The medications that keep Karen Bumgardner breathing are expensive. At $711, one puff of Trelegy Ellipta, a long-acting inhaler she uses daily, costs about $24. The 40-year-old Cleveland County resident also uses about $100-a-month on rescue medications to help her breathe during an attack, including an albuterol inhaler and nebulizer. Bumgardner has […]

shows a beer in a brewery, some of which are opening back up after the COVID-19 stay at home order

Coronavirus Today – Feb. 24 – Bars can open indoors; COVID curfew lifted; Larger crowds at sports arenas and entertainment venues

February 24, 2021 by Anne Blythe Leave a Comment

Coronavirus Today – Feb. 24 – Bars can open indoors; COVID curfew lifted; Larger crowds at sports arenas and entertainment venues - North Carolina Health News

As North Carolina’s COVID-19 trends and metrics stabilize, Gov. Roy Cooper eases restrictions.

By Anne Blythe North Carolina’s bars and taverns, forced to close for nearly a year in the battle against COVID-19, may reopen their doors this weekend to welcome people in for a beer, glass of wine or shot of their choice at limited capacity. Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Wednesday that he was lifting the […]

a woman in a face shield, mask, gloves and full protective gear looks at test tubes on a desk full of science equipment

COVID-19 variants have come to NC. What does it mean?

February 24, 2021 by Hannah Critchfield Leave a Comment

COVID-19 variants have come to NC. What does it mean? - North Carolina Health News

Our metrics are looking better statewide, but the arrival of new variants prompts questions about vaccine effectiveness.

By Hannah Critchfield Even as the numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the novel coronavirus are dropping in North Carolina, there is a potential dark cloud on the horizon. That’s because, as of last week, both the South African and Great Britain variants of SARS CoV2, the virus also known as COVID-19, have been […]

Will NC collect data on LGBT people and COVID?

February 19, 2021 by Hannah Critchfield Leave a Comment

Will NC collect data on LGBT people and COVID? - North Carolina Health News

The CDC called on states to begin tracking gender and sexual identity in their COVID-19 data. Will North Carolina take their advice?

By Hannah Critchfield Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report that found gay, lesbian and bisexual people were at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 than heterosexual people. The federal agency is now recommending states and local jurisdictions begin collecting information on the sexual orientation and gender identity […]

little girl with a mask on to prevent COVID works at a laptop

Coronavirus Today – Feb. 18 – Adverse weather delays COVID vaccines; Governor has issues with school bill; High school game crowd size

February 18, 2021 by Anne Blythe Leave a Comment

Coronavirus Today – Feb. 18 – Adverse weather delays COVID vaccines; Governor has issues with school bill; High school game crowd size - North Carolina Health News

As North Carolina’s COVID-19 trends and metrics improve, Gov. Roy Cooper gives hints about the next executive order.

By Anne Blythe The severe weather that has left record snowfalls across the country and iced-up roads in North Carolina dumped yet another challenge on states weary from battling COVID-19 for nearly a year. Poor road conditions have led to delays in the vaccine shipments that have offered glimmers of hope for North Carolinians 65 […]

We see a green field lined with trees, and a plot in the middle with cardboard lying atop it.

Fabian Tinsley is buried somewhere in this field. His family doesn’t know where.

February 16, 2021 by Hannah Critchfield 1 Comment

Fabian Tinsley is buried somewhere in this field. His family doesn’t know where. - North Carolina Health News

Tinsley was an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution Butner when he contracted COVID and died. Even before his family was notified, his body was placed in an unmarked grave.

By Chloe Arrojado, Liz Howard, and Maya Jarrell If Fabian Tinsley’s family wanted to visit his body, they’d have trouble locating it without a metal detector. It took the family nearly six months after Tinsley’s death to learn where their loved one had been buried, without their knowledge, in an unmarked grave by prison officials […]

shows a brick building of Central Prison behind a chain link fence topped by razor wire

NC claims fewer prisoners died of COVID than documents show. Why does that matter?

February 9, 2021 by Hannah Critchfield 2 Comments

NC claims fewer prisoners died of COVID than documents show. Why does that matter? - North Carolina Health News

A North Carolina Health News and VICE News investigation found this undercount is likely not unique to North Carolina, and could be happening in dozens of states across the country.

By Hannah Critchfield and Arabella Saunders In the final hours of August 2, Billy Bingham lay alone in his cell, silent except for the sounds of his short, shallow breaths. Thirty-four minutes after midnight, he was dead. Paramedics arrived at the Albemarle Correctional Institute, a state prison in central North Carolina, too late to take […]

man wearing mask sits behind desk with naloxone kits in a line in front of him

COVID-19 stressors fuel surge in overdoses of contaminated street drugs

February 5, 2021 by Liora Engel-Smith

COVID-19 stressors fuel surge in overdoses of contaminated street drugs - North Carolina Health News

We talked to health workers on the front lines of the opioid epidemic across the state to hear how the coronavirus pandemic has affected people who use drugs.

By Taylor Knopf and Liora Engel-Smith Though attention has shifted to combating the coronavirus pandemic, the opioid crisis in North Carolina has not gone away. The stressors caused by COVID-19 — such as homelessness and job loss — have contributed to an increase in drug overdoses in the last year. North Carolina saw a spike […]

The next battle in the COVID wars: Teachers vs. politicians, parents

February 3, 2021 by Anne Blythe

The next battle in the COVID wars: Teachers vs. politicians, parents - North Carolina Health News

A Wayne County teacher’s fight against COVID-19 underscores the unpredictability of the virus.

By Anne Blythe A groundswell of parents across North Carolina are ready to relinquish their home-schooling roles and are pushing school districts that have yet to open their doors to get students in kindergarten through high school back into classrooms. They’ve caught the ears of elected officials. Gov. Roy Cooper, Catherine Truitt, the state Superintendent […]

shows three boxes on a blue background, a Black woman in an orange dress to the upper left, a Black man in a minister's collar with a cross around his neck to the upper right and a white woman sitting in front of a podium below.

Coronavirus Today – Feb. 2 – Calling all school districts to offer in-person instruction; Teachers push back; Fireside chat with Rev. Barber

February 2, 2021 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Feb. 2 – Calling all school districts to offer in-person instruction; Teachers push back; Fireside chat with Rev. Barber - North Carolina Health News

Citing new studies that show little to no spread of COVID-19 in schools, the governor and top education officials push to reopen classrooms.

By Anne Blythe Gov. Roy Cooper and state education leaders are pushing school districts across the state to open classrooms for students, using two studies to argue that it’s safe to do so. On Tuesday, Catherine Truitt, the state superintendent of public instruction, Eric Davis, chairman of the State Board of Education, joined Cooper and […]

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