DHHS Sec. Mandy Cohen

shows a map of North Carolina with many counties colored in yellow, some counties colored in orange and a handful of them red, to denote critical levels of COVID activity

Coronavirus Today – Nov. 17 – Is your county red, orange or yellow? Seeking compliance cooperation; Not the time to punt

November 17, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Nov. 17 – Is your county red, orange or yellow? Seeking compliance cooperation; Not the time to punt - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina will use a color-coded COVID-19 alert system to highlight viral hotspots.

By Anne Blythe North Carolina’s public health team has rolled out a new mapping tool that shows viral hotspots across the state as part of an attempt to engage leaders and residents in those counties to tailor stronger plans for slowing COVID-19 spread in specific regions. Through a color-coded alert system, the state will use […]

shows Cooper standing at a podium in a purple tie, gesturing with his hands, during a COVID briefing on Nov 5

Coronavirus Today – Nov. 5 – Will masks still be political post-Election?; Thanksgiving guidelines; 2,800 COVID-19 cases per day

November 5, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Nov. 5 – Will masks still be political post-Election?; Thanksgiving guidelines; 2,800 COVID-19 cases per day - North Carolina Health News

Gov. Roy Cooper would like the pandemic politicization to fade away as NC case counts surge, campaigns wind down and new opportunity arises for coordinated federal response.

By Anne Blythe While many questions linger after Election Day about key political races still not called in North Carolina, there is less ambiguity about one thing: The campaign rallies that brought candidates to this swing state in search of blue and red votes are expected to disappear. COVID-19, however, shows no signs of going […]

Sepia tone image of a young girl with an older man both wearing a mask against COVID, they're painting a pumpkin

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 28 Eviction protection order; ‘Will I be with anyone I don’t live with?’; Charlotte church convocation and 143 cases

October 28, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 28 Eviction protection order; ‘Will I be with anyone I don’t live with?’; Charlotte church convocation and 143 cases - North Carolina Health News

COVID-19 case surge in NC linked to small family gatherings, large events and people letting their guard down.

By Anne Blythe North Carolina’s rural counties have become a major source for rising COVID-19 case counts, according to public health officials. Gov. Roy Cooper and Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, offered an array of reasons on Wednesday for the case surge occurring as cooler weather is sending […]

shows a county map of north carolina with darker counties being places with higher rates of COVID-19. The darkest counties right now are all rural.

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 21 – Paused in Phase 3; Counties asked to toughen COVID restrictions; Promising treatment underperforms; Veterans’ home outbreaks

October 21, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 21 – Paused in Phase 3; Counties asked to toughen COVID restrictions; Promising treatment underperforms; Veterans’ home outbreaks - North Carolina Health News

Thirty-six NC counties with high COVID-19 transmission asked to consider restriction measures beyond state requirements.

By Anne Blythe, Hannah Critchfield and Thomas Goldsmith On a day that North Carolina’s COVID-19 death toll topped the 4,000 mark and the number of people hospitalized with illness related to the novel coronavirus is the second highest in the pandemic, Gov. Roy Cooper hit the pause on any further reopening. North Carolina public health […]

shows a video conferencing call with six people who were talking about Cardinal Innovations

Union, Cabarrus, other counties look to cut ties with Cardinal

October 20, 2020 by Rose Hoban

Union, Cabarrus, other counties look to cut ties with Cardinal - North Carolina Health News

Union and Cabarrus counties are exploring changing mental health management organizations ahead of a critical deadline. Others may follow suit.

By Rose Hoban With little debate, members of the Union County board of commissioners voted unanimously Monday afternoon to disengage the county from their relationship with Cardinal Innovations, which has managed mental health services there for years. Several hours later, Cabarrus County commissioners followed suit, initiating the process of severing ties with the organization, which […]

Screenshot from a press conference, in a box on the upper left, a woman in a blue dress holds up a hand to indicate a high number, below her, in a box, is a sign language interpreter. On the right in the photo is a graph showing an overall trend line of COVID cases rising with time.

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 15 – Highest single-day COVID case count; First flu death in NC; Vaccine distribution plan almost complete

October 15, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 15 – Highest single-day COVID case count; First flu death in NC; Vaccine distribution plan almost complete - North Carolina Health News

One state, two different takes from the governor and the president on the COVID-19 pandemic in NC.

By Anne Blythe Two very different messages about the coronavirus pandemic came from two different podiums in North Carolina on Thursday. In Greenville, at the Greenville-Pitt Airport, President Donald Trump downplayed the pandemic to the crowd gathered for a campaign rally. “North Carolina, tell your governor open up your state, open up your schools,” Trump […]

Shows a waitress in a brightly patterened apron wearing a mask to prevent transmission of COVID-19 while taking an order from a patron in a restaurant.

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 13 – NC numbers going wrong way; Trump coming to Pitt County; Cuomo’s COVID hot-spot plan

October 13, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 13 – NC numbers going wrong way; Trump coming to Pitt County; Cuomo’s COVID hot-spot plan - North Carolina Health News

As elementary schools open fully and President Donald Trump plans rallies in NC, cases and hospitalizations rise.

By Anne Blythe If North Carolinians want to keep going to restaurants and retail stores through the winter, now is not the time to let coronavirus pandemic fatigue give way to less mask wearing and social distancing. That was the message from Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, who […]

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 6 – Trump’s messaging, Cooper’s response; Mourning App State death; Child care aid

October 6, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Oct. 6 – Trump’s messaging, Cooper’s response; Mourning App State death; Child care aid - North Carolina Health News

Gov. Roy Cooper calls White House messaging ‘frustrating’ as some of North Carolina’s trends show troubling upticks.

By Anne Blythe Gov. Roy Cooper said on Tuesday that he will be glad once the elections are over so the partisan politics and the White House messaging that has affected how some people react to the coronavirus pandemic can subside and perhaps bring a sharper focus on public health and proven science. The governor’s […]

Shows the brightly colored "windseeker" ride at Carowinds, where red seats suspended from a blue column swirl high in the air.

Coronavirus Today – Sep 30 Bars, movie theaters, amusement parks reopening; NC stable but warning signs of spikes; Swing state with COVID-19

September 30, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Sep 30 Bars, movie theaters, amusement parks reopening; NC stable but warning signs of spikes; Swing state with COVID-19 - North Carolina Health News

Gov. Roy Cooper turned the ‘dimmer switch’ another notch to reopen bars, theaters, amusement parks at limited capacity.

By Anne Blythe North Carolinians will be able to return to bars with outdoor seating, movie theaters, outdoor amusement parks, sports stadiums and other entertainment venues after Friday, with some limitations, thanks to the coronavirus. Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters on Wednesday that North Carolina’s COVID-19 trends and metrics are stable enough to move into […]

shows the back of a wheelchair, with an old and wizened hand on the arm of the chair

Report: Residents in 90 percent of NC nursing homes face increased risk of injury or death in emergencies

September 24, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

Report: Residents in 90 percent of NC nursing homes face increased risk of injury or death in emergencies - North Carolina Health News

Federal regulators say as many as nine of 10 people who live in NC nursing homes are at heightened risk of death or injury in emergencies because of life-safety violations.

By Thomas Goldsmith Residents at nine out 10 of North Carolina nursing homes face increased risk of death or injury during emergencies because of lapses in meeting state standards, according to a critical new report from a federal oversight agency. The inspector general’s office, or OIG, of the federal Department of Health and Human Services […]

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