outbreak

shows three politicians who are usually at odds on the same dias, they're there in order to sign bills to provide COVID relief

Coronavirus Today – May 4 – Pandemic politics, slow re-opening, prison COVID plan

May 4, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – May 4 – Pandemic politics, slow re-opening, prison COVID plan - North Carolina Health News

Gov. Roy Cooper joined with rival legislative leaders to get a coronavirus relief plan across the finish line.

By North Carolina Health News staff

Kumbaya pandemic politics

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept so much abnormality through this state that North Carolinians could be forgiven if they failed to do a few extra blinks of astonishment when Gov. Roy Cooper signed a $1.5 billion relief pandemic package into law midday.

The Republican House and Senate leaders, who only several months ago could not find enough common ground on policy with the executive branch to push through a $24 billion state budget, were there at the side of the Democratic governor as he signed two bills passed by the legislature over the weekend, making them law.

Phil Berger, the Eden Republican leading the Senate, and Tim Moore, the Cleveland County Republican, at the head of the House, led their legislative chambers to unanimous votes on two bills that change policies and allocate federal funding sent to North Carolina for mounting pandemic-related costs.

“This is a time that North Carolina truly has come together to fight this disease,” Cooper said. “These two laws were passed unanimously. Every Democrat and every Republican supported them. I appreciate these leaders reaching consensus with each other and our office to move quickly so that we can test and trace this disease while we also get relief to people and businesses that need it.”

The package includes:

$125 million for small business loans to be administered through the Golden LEAF Foundation;
$95 million for hospitals, many of which have taken financial hits by stopping elective surgeries that help fill their coffers;
$85 million for vaccine development, antibody testing, community testing and related research at Campbell University, Duke University, East Carolina University, UNC-Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University;
$75 million for school nutrition programs;
$70 million for summer learning programs;
$50 million in health support for underserved rural and African American communities hit hard during the pandemic;
$50 million for personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies;
$30 million for local schools to purchase computers and other technical devices necessary for the online learning in place since the halt of in-person classes;
$20 million for the county health departments and State Laboratory of Public Health;
$9 million for broadband in rural areas with spotty WiFi; and
$6 million for food banks.

“North Carolinians have come together, and what you have seen is the leadership in the General Assembly and all members of the General Assembly together with the governor and various executive branch agencies come together as well,” said Berger, whose Senate initially pushed for a $1.2 billion plan. “I believe this bill gets us on the right path and I am looking forward to continue to work, governor, with you, and with my colleagues in the General Assembly.”

In legislative sessions of recent years, it has been the House that typically moves closer to Senate plans during compromise sessions. The four-day session last week that closed on Saturday ended the opposite way with the Senate moving closer to the House’s initial $1.6 billion spending plan.

A House plan would have expanded Medicaid eligibility temporarily to some low-income North Carolinians eligible unable to get the benefits in this state because of a long-standing political battle over the expansion program. The Senate did not agree to that temporary relief, with some lawmakers contending that other federal aid would cover COVID-related treatment.

During the legislative compromise session last week, the House did not agree to a provision proposed by the Senate to increase the weekly state unemployment benefit to $400, a $50 increase over the current rate, once federal aid is exhausted. The number of claims filed for unemployment benefits topped one million over the weekend.

The legislative leaders, including Sen. Dan Blue and Rep. Darren Jackson, both Wake County Democrats, and Cooper all agreed that more pandemic-related funding would be needed in the months ahead. They lauded the Senate and House bills.

“It’s been very refreshing to see everybody put aside differences they had or thought they had and be able to work together for the common good and be able to make sure this legislation went forward,” Moore said. — Anne Blythe

More relief, more parks and shopping options ahead

Gov. Roy Cooper said he would reveal more detailed plans on Tuesday or Wednesday of what businesses could be reopened during the first phase of easing social distance restrictions.

Cooper’s stay-at-home order is set to expire on Friday. If the data show what his public health team wants to see that could mean a reopening of closed parks and more shopping options.

“We’re still analyzing our indicators, our testing, tracing and trends, talking with health care experts,” Cooper said. “We’re getting a lot of advice from businesses about what we can do.”

Easing social distancing restrictions is not the only thing that will happen in phases.

Cooper and legislators acknowledged that more relief packages will come in phases, too.

“I’m already thinking about what’s going to be in the next bill that will be coming down the pike,” said Darren Jackson, a Wake County Democrat and the House minority leader.

“Science tells us there will be peaks and there will be lows, but this virus is not going away. And no matter how things change, there are some issues we need to continue to constantly have on the forefront and address going forward — the need to expand health care access and close the insurance gap, the need to protect our frontline health care workers and other workers and make sure they have the protection that when they get sick, they can stay home, that safety net. We need to protect the unemployed who lost their jobs that may find that job not coming back in the near future,” he said. “Today we take a good step, but I hope it is just that — the first step.”

Without using the words ‘Medicaid expansion,’ a phrase that caused the budget standstill during the last session, Cooper, too, said he would be advocating for more to help the state’s uninsured.

Sen. Dan Blue, a Wake County Democrat, gave a brief history lesson and focused on the 1918 flu pandemic that continued to cause deaths in North Carolina in 1919 and 1920 to caution that there also might be some unforeseen COVID-19-related costs.

“The pandemic is unlike anything we’ve seen before,” Blue said. “A little more than a century ago, we had the same experience and we practiced social distancing. But as is sometimes the case, we got a little restless and the second and third phases were more deadly than the first phase.”

“I think we will learn the lessons and get through this pandemic all working together,” he continued. — Anne Blythe

Predicting revenue shortfall

Tim Moore, the Cleveland County Republican presiding as speaker of the House, noted that because so many businesses have closed down and unexpected pandemic costs have caused the state lawmakers to dip deeper into reserves, there could be some belt-tightening requested across state agencies.

“We were getting projections that our state budget, we could have a deficit of $3.5 to $4 billion dollars as a result of this,” Moore said. “So we know that while we’ve taken care of these critical needs right now, there certainly are more critical needs to take care of, but then going into next year’s budget when schools open back up, when things are running back, and we have to pay for all those things. So we need to make sure we are prudent how we spend this money so we have funds there should the shortfall continue on into the fall and into the spring.”

A $4 billion shortfall, Moore pointed out, would be 16 percent of a $24 billion budget.

“We all understand that we’re going to have to look at some potential fiscal cuts to get where we need to be with our constitutional mandate of a balanced budget,” Gov. Roy Cooper said. “But also important is the bipartisan request made by the National Governors Association of Congress and the president for $500 billion to help states across the country — and local governments across the country — avoid bankruptcy and making sure that people can backfill their budgets.

white man in a suit stands at a podium, another white man in a suit stands behind him. They're talking about providing financial relief for the state from COVID issues — House Speaker Tim Moore speaks as Gov. Roy Cooper looks on during a briefing on North Carolina’s COVID-19 pandemic response Monday, May 4, 2020 at the NC Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh. Photo credit: NC Dept. of Public Safety

“There’s a strong movement for that to happen,” Cooper added. “I hope we can get help from the federal government for this because we do have a constitutional requirement for a balanced budget. We’re all going to have to figure out how to get there.” — Anne Blythe

Don’t forget to disinfect those pens

Gov. Roy Cooper told lawmakers who came together that he had pens for each of them after he signed Senate Bill 704 and House Bill 1043 into law.

“Okay, we have two new laws that will help the people of North Carolina, that this leadership has come together with consensus to move our state forward and we’re grateful for that,” Cooper said. “I’ve got a pen for each of them after we wipe it down with disinfectant.”

In medical studies, pens and other common instruments have been found to contribute to the spread of hospital-acquired infections.

— Anne Blythe

Indoor vs. outdoor activities

Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen addressed a question about whether there will be recommendations from public health leaders in the coming phase about relative risks for certain activities.

Physical distancing will continue to be important and wearing face coverings when that is not possible or when you are with other people will be, too. Hand-washing will remain important throughout.

“As far as activities, in terms of risk and not, we certainly know that indoor activities are higher risk than outdoor activities,” Cohen said. “And activities where you sit — stand or sit — for a prolonged period of time, but generally sitting for more than 10 minutes, that’s the things that are going to increase our risks.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cohen noted, has defined risk as anyone within six feet of someone for a period of more than 10 minutes.

In the first phase of loosening social distancing restrictions, Cohen said North Carolinians will see more commerce open and more park activity allowed.

“We’re looking to minimize that in-close-proximity, less than six feet for more than 10 minutes of time,” Cohen said. “And then when you do that if you have to be in closer contact, again, wearing face coverings, and to be washing your hands very frequently.” — Anne Blythe

Coronavirus by the numbers

According to NCDHHS data, as of Monday morning:

430 people total in North Carolina have died of coronavirus.
11,848 have been diagnosed with the disease. Of those, 498 are in the hospital. The hospitalization figure is a snapshot of people with COVID-19 on a given day and does not represent all of the North Carolinians who may have been in the hospital throughout the course of the epidemic.
More than 146,000 tests have been completed thus far, though not all labs report their negative results to the state, so the actual number of completed coronavirus tests is likely higher.
Most of the cases (41 percent) were in people ages 25-49. While 23 percent of the positive diagnoses were in people ages 65 and older, seniors make up 87 percent of coronavirus deaths in the state.
99 outbreaks are ongoing in group facilities across the state, including nursing homes, correctional and residential care facilities.
There are 3,217 ventilators in hospitals across the state and 704 ventilators in use, not just for coronavirus cases but also for patients with other reasons for being in the hospital.

Judge orders NC prison officials to present COVID-19 plan

A North Carolina Superior Court Judge ordered prison officials to present specific plans for how they are containing COVID-19 in prisons and preventing the spread of the contagious virus between inmates. Prison officials must submit their plans by 5 p.m. on Friday.

This order came in response to a lawsuit by prison legal advocates asking for relief for inmates with underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to COVID-19 complications. The legal advocates contend there are too many inmates to properly socially distance within prisons, creating a prime breeding ground for the virus.

The judge also asked prison officials for a list of the facilities that are providing the following:

More than one facemask per inmate of the same quality of those provided to staff
Unrestricted access to sanitation supplies, including soap and alcohol-based sanitizer
Living conditions designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including moving bunk beds at least six feet apart and altering schedules to limit the mixing of inmates between housing units.

These are problematic areas in facilities across the state, according to inmates from several facilities who testified in sworn statements about the conditions in prisons during the pandemic. They wrote that their beds are not six feet apart. They’re given a limited amount of soap, which some say they use to wash their one cloth facemask. Many said they are not allowed to have hand sanitizer because it’s considered contraband. And inmates wrote that there is mixing between facilities and dorms with little attempt to separate prisoners with symptoms. —Taylor Knopf

Carteret Health resumes elective surgeries

Carteret Health Care has joined the list of hospitals across the state that have resumed elective surgeries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective today, the county-owned hospital will take steps to resume elective procedures and inpatient care, according to a press release.

The decision to resume elective surgeries and some inpatient care came after the hospital prepared for a large surge of COVID-19 cases, said president Harvey Case in a press release. But newer models predict that need is far lower, he added.

Hospital staff will resume care in stages, according to the press release. Patients whose surgeries were delayed will receive calls from the hospital to reschedule beginning today. Inpatient care will also ramp up slowly with some safety measures in place. All patients and staff will be required to wear face masks and everyone will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 before they enter the Carteret County facility. The hospital will also continue to implement visitor restrictions.

Hospital officials will continue to monitor the needs of the community, according to the news release, and will make sure resources are available for COVID-19 response.

“We clearly understand we cannot let our guard down, however, we believe we are ready to safely begin moving forward with caring for patients with needs that have been delayed,” Case said in the news release. – Liora Engel-Smith

UNC delays start of fall semester

Mecklenburg County health authorities say the coronavirus outbreak is projected to peak in mid-June in Charlotte. As a result, UNC Charlotte has moved the beginning of the fall semester back two weeks from August 24 to September 7.

“Given our unique location in North Carolina’s largest city, these two weeks allow additional time between the projected peak of the virus in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and the start of the academic year,” said Chancellor Phil Dubois in a statement.

The university will assess any additional campus safety protocols and release a complete schedule for the semester soon. — Melba Newsome

Mental Health Moment – See some spring flowers!

The New York Botanical Garden is currently closed, but you can take a virtual tour of the profusion of spring blossoms there. Just feel your blood pressure drop as you watch.

The House of Representatives at his podium during the COVID session

Coronavirus Today – April 30 – Mixed picture on NC metrics, Gaston confusion, legislative relief

April 30, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – April 30 – Mixed picture on NC metrics, Gaston confusion, legislative relief - North Carolina Health News

Even as the state considers reopening, today saw an uptick in cases and more people with COVID symptoms are showing up in emergency departments.

By North Carolina Health News Staff

Uptick in COVID-19 symptoms in ER

Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, pulled out her graphs and charts again to highlight the metrics her team is using to monitor when to begin easing social distancing restrictions.

“The overall picture is mixed,” Cohen said. “But we remain optimistic that these trends will be stable enough to move into phase one next week.”

Gov. Roy Cooper has extended the statewide stay-at-home order through May 8, but cautions that data and evidence must show the trends that Cohen and public health leaders want to slightly open the door for more movement.

The number of people showing up at emergency rooms across the state with fever, cough and shortness of breath, symptoms of the virus, have ticked up during the past seven days.

“We want to be looking at this metric over 14 days,” Cohen said. “So if you look at an average over 14 days, we’re generally level. But obviously, we’re going to be following this one closely because this last seven days sees that upward tick.”

Cohen cautioned that each indicator has its limitations, a reason that she and her team will look at the overall picture of metrics in the coming week.

The number of new laboratory confirmed cases has ticked up, too, with 561 new cases reported earlier in the day, the largest one-day increase in North Carolina.

“We know there is more COVID-19 out in our communities than gets captured by what’s in our lab data,” Cohen said, stressing the limitations with the specific metric. “As we test more, which has been our intention all along, we want to increase testing, we know there is more COVID-19 out there, so we know we’re going to pick up more cases.”

Given that, Cohen showed the next graph with the percentage of positive tests related to the total number of tests conducted. The state has seen a downward trend for that metric.

In recent days, the state has gone from an average of 2,500 tests per day to 5,000. On Wednesday, there were 6,000 tests reported, Cohen said.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 complications has stayed fairly level with 400 to 500 people in hospital beds on a given day with COVID-19 complications.

The state still needs gowns and N95 masks to ramp up testing and contact tracing to support the easing of the social distancing restrictions. — Anne Blythe

Governor calls Gaston confusion ‘dangerous’

Gov. Roy Cooper took a moment to discuss what happened in Gaston County on Wednesday when commissioners there sowed confusion about whether people there could buck the statewide stay-at-home order.

Commissioners issued “The Gaston Promise,” saying they would allow businesses to reopen despite the stay-at-home order, then backtracked from that later in the day.

The county manager clarified that Gaston County was not telling people to break the law. Even in the document posted, it noted that the statewide order was in effect and what the commissioners were advocating was “not in lock step with the Governor’s executive order.”

The town of Stanley posted a clarification on its website that included language from the promise, while also letting residents in the Gaston County community know that the statewide order ruled.

“That action created confusion in a pandemic and that’s dangerous,” Cooper said. “They acknowledged in their own order that our state order was still in effect. So there was no need to cause that kind of confusion.”

Cooper stressed that he is eager to get the economy reignited, especially at a time when the state has sent more than $1 billion in unemployment benefits to some 400,000 people during the pandemic.

“We need to do it in the right way,” Cooper said about getting people back to work. “I was pleased to see all the municipalities in Gaston County come forward and say they will continue to abide by the order and do the right thing. I think if we continue to work hard to flatten this curve and keep our trends where we want to go, we can begin this phase one process next week.” — Anne Blythe

How do you define COVID-19 recovery?

During the pandemic, North Carolina public health officials have struggled to define when someone has recovered from COVID-19.

“While we know folks are recovering from COVID-19, I have my own family members in other states that have recovered,” Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said. “The hard part about creating a recovery number is that it’s hard to know because every case is so different in terms of how long people are sick for, it’s hard to know how to judge recovery.”

State teams have been talking with partners at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention so recovery can be defined consistently across the country.

“We’ve seen some studies that some people can be sick for as few as five to seven days, where there are others who are sick up to 40 days,” Cohen said. “So how do you define when the majority of folks are recovered?”

That’s math and work that Cohen and her team are going through with data scientists now as they look to add more data to the dashboard.

“Stay tuned. We hope to be able to share more on the recovery front as we work with the CDC and get their guidance on how to best define this number,” Cohen said. — Anne Blythe

What gives the governor hope

Gov. Roy Cooper was asked what gives him hope as May 8 approaches and the state could see some easing of restrictions.

“It’s seeing the grandchild drawing a picture of grandmother and then holding it up at the window of a nursing home, talking to her grandmother through the window, showing that she loves her,” Cooper responded.

“I appreciate that tech worker who is working from home, but says that she’ll do child care for our frontline health care workers,” he continued. “I appreciate that neighbor who is doing shopping for that at-risk senior and putting the groceries on the doorstep every week. Those are the things that give me hope about North Carolina, that we’re going to be even better in the end.”

During the next week, Cooper said he hoped the trends he and his team are tracking will be at a point where the state can start a gradual easing of social distancing restrictions.

Cooper also mentioned the promising news from the federal coronavirus task force about remdesivir, a possible treatment for COVID-19 being researched at UNC-Chapel Hill in the lab of Ralph Baric, an epidemiologist at the Gillings School of Public Health.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that data from the international clinical trial testing the drug in about 1,090 patients showed “quite good news.”

The trial participants who took the broad-spectrum antiviral drug recovered, on average, in 11 days as opposed to the 15 days for those taking the placebo.

Health care experts agree that no one drug will be a “silver bullet,” and that in the short term, patients will likely receive a “cocktail” of drugs to help them through their infections.

“Learning about new drugs and vaccine development is encouraging,” Cooper said. “But they will take time. Our job is to do what we know works right now. Keep our physical distance, sanitize, stay at home. I know this is a difficult time for many people, but there is hope and there is a plan, and it is based on data and science and facts. It prioritizes the health and safety of our communities, while focusing on ways to jumpstart our economy safely.” — Anne Blythe

Coronavirus by the numbers

According to NCDHHS data, as of Thursday morning:

378 people total in North Carolina have died of coronavirus.
10,509 have been diagnosed with the disease. Of those, 546 are in the hospital. The hospitalization figure is a snapshot of people with coronavirus on a given day and does not represent all of the North Carolinians who may have been in the hospital throughout the course of the epidemic.
More than 128,000 tests have been completed thus far, though not all labs report their negative results to the state, so the actual number of completed coronavirus tests is likely higher.
Most of the cases (40 percent) were in people ages 25-49. While 23 percent of the positive diagnoses were in people ages 65 and older, seniors make up 86 percent of coronavirus deaths in the state.
87 outbreaks are ongoing in group facilities across the state, including nursing homes, correctional and residential care facilities.
There are 3,204 ventilators in hospitals across the state and 745 ventilators in use, not just for coronavirus cases but also for patients with other reasons for being in the hospital.

Legislative chambers pass their relief packages – reconciliation to come

Lawmakers in Raleigh this week moved quickly to wrap up the appropriation of some of the billions of dollars the federal government has sent to North Carolina to address harms generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Out of about $3.5 billion in undesignated funds sent by Congress, the two chambers of the General Assembly took different tacks to allocating money. The House of Representatives passed a $1.7 billion package that includes a limited expansion of Medicaid to cover all uninsured people earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty line for coronavirus testing and treatment, $110 million for COVID-related research divided up among the state’s public health and medical universities, and $125 million to help hospitals whose bottom lines have been hammered by the suspension of elective procedures, along with preparations to deal with potential coronavirus patients.

The speaker of the House of Representatives at his podium during the COVID session — House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) presided over a sparsely attended session of his chamber Thursday, where members spoke positively of their $1.7 billion bill to distribute federal funding to address needs generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the dias with him are legislative staff, who are wearing masks. Photo courtesy: NCGA Youtube screenshot

The Senate bill, amended late Wednesday to come up to a little more than $1.3 billion, includes $20 million to go to Wake Forest University to bolster an antibody study that’s been supported by Senate leader Phil Berger, plus $30 million to other academic centers for COVID-related research.

The Senate bill does not include the money for the limited Medicaid expansion. However, Berger said he believed the federal government would cover those costs, and to wit, earlier this week the federal Department of Health and Human Services launched a website where health care providers can apply for federal dollars to cover testing and treatment costs for the uninsured. The Senate bill also does not include support for the state’s hospitals, but does provide $61 million that could include grants for “rural and underserved communities especially hard hit by the COVID–19 pandemic.”

The vote board in the House of Representatives during the COVID session — The vote board in the House of Representatives usually only has 15 seconds for voting displayed. But during Thursday’s special session to deal with COVID-19 needs, the timer was set to 40 minutes to allow for members to cycle on and off of the floor in order to vote while maintaining social distancing. Photo courtesy: NCGA Youtube screenshot

One unique feature among the many unprecedented aspects of this short session is that the House of Representatives, for the first time, broadcast its floor proceedings via YouTube. This allowed people from around the state to observe how the House floor was essentially empty, save for several dozen lawmakers, many of whom were wearing masks. The House also allowed 40 minutes for votes to be cast, which allows for members to wander on and off of the floor to vote. Revised rules also allowed for members to submit proxy votes to their leaders. All this in far more time than the 15 seconds usually permitted for voting to be completed.

The Senate as yet does not broadcast on the web.

Now it’s up to the two chambers to reconcile their competing visions of how to allocate the federal dollars.

“We are going to try to work out the perfect plan of the House with the not-so-perfect plan of the Senate,” Moore quipped from his podium. – Rose Hoban

A sign in support of healthcare workers amidst coronavirus adorns a hospital building.

Coronavirus Today – April 29 – NCGA spending plans, childcare boost and updated models

April 29, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – April 29 – NCGA spending plans, childcare boost and updated models - North Carolina Health News

NCDHHS Sec. Mandy Cohen said she would like the NCGA proposals for coronavirus spending to include more funding for food, shelter and other safety items recommended in the governor’s spending proposal.

By North Carolina Health News staff

DHHS secretary not happy with Senate spending plan

When Gov. Roy Cooper introduced his coronavirus spending proposal last week that he planned to send to the state lawmakers who control the purse strings for the state, he did so, he said, without including his entire wish list in a spirit of compromise and consensus.

After seeing pandemic-related proposals released by the House and Senate on Tuesday, Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said the Senate’s $1.2 billion proposal falls short.

The proposal from the House of Representatives calls for spending more than Cooper recommended, a $1.6 billion package that provides more support to the homeless, child protective and domestic violence services, food stamp recipient programs, rural and underserved communities, and research at universities across the state.

“We know we’re fighting the largest public health battle that our state has ever faced,” Cohen said. “We need our public health teams, our doctors and clinicians, our first responders, frontline workers and others leading the charge, and they’re going to need the financial resources in order to appropriately respond to this crisis.”

The General Assembly convened on Tuesday for what has been billed as a brief session to respond to needs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Yesterday the Senate released their original package around the budget, which I do not believe provided the appropriate level of funding needed,” Cohen said. “We need to see continued work this week to include some of the critical funding that’s not yet included.”

The Senate budget, Cohen said, falls short of what Cooper’s plan and the House plan recommend for public health funding at the state and local levels. It also falls short on what those plans would allocate for rural and underserved communities and the doctors and hospitals in those regions, she said.

Cohen would like to see more funding for food, shelter and other safety items recommended in the governor’s proposal.

In the first month of the pandemic, North Carolina set up 1,000 meal sites and served more than 11.6 million breakfasts, lunches and dinners, Cohen said. The North Carolina National Guard has helped get supplies to seven food banks across the state that are supplying households with sustenance while more than 600,000 people have applied for unemployment benefits.

“North Carolinians have pulled together to respond to this crisis from day one,” Cohen said. “I’m particularly proud of the rapid and extensive work our team has done to make sure there is food on the table of our friends and neighbors during this challenging time. School nutrition and transportation staff have worked tirelessly to ensure children continue to receive the nutritious meals that they need while they are out of school.”

Senate leader Phil Berger, a Republican from Eden, and Cooper, a Democrat, have been policy opponents through much of the governor’s term. Cohen hopes to persuade Berger and other leaders in the Senate to put more funding toward rural and underserved communities and other safety net programs designed to help those most in need.

“I’ve shared these priorities with Senate leadership and I’m looking forward to continued work this week so that those are reflected in the final package,” Cohen said. — Anne Blythe

Gaston County bucks statewide order

Tracy Philbeck, chairman of the Gaston County board of commissioners, announced plans to sign an order 10 days before the statewide stay-at-home order expires letting businesses and houses of worship know that county leaders are on board with them opening up now as long as social distancing measures are taken.

Gaston County, surrounded by Mecklenburg, Lincoln, York and Cleveland counties, reported three COVID-19 deaths and 302 positive cases in its most recent count.

Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, was asked about the Gaston County plan, which county leaders refer to as “Gaston Promise,” and the impact such activity might have on the efforts to “flatten the curve” statewide.

“We’re in a crisis. Confusion is really, really damaging during a crisis,” Cohen responded. “I want folks to know throughout the state of North Carolina that the governor’s executive order is still in place, it still stands. We’re still asking folks to stay at home to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. So that’s the state of the state.”

Cohen acknowledged the frustration and difficulties brought on by the pandemic with businesses closing, jobs lost and lives turned upside down.

“We’re trying to move through this in the best way possible to protect health,” Cohen said. “We’re trying to look at the data from across North Carolina so that we can step through different phases of loosening restrictions. We already know businesses are open right now and are protecting their employees, are protecting their consumers and we’re going to slowly expand that over the next coming weeks.”

Cohen and Gov. Roy Cooper have so far tried to maintain a statewide approach, but have said there could come a time when regional approaches work.

Both Cooper and Cohen have sidestepped questions about any actions the state might take for those violating the stay-at-home order while consistently thanking all for adhering to the restrictions.

“Hang in there with us,” Cohen said. “Just so you know the order is still in place for the full state of North Carolina. I’m appreciative of everything everyone is doing to slow the spread of the virus. What I can say is, it’s working. You have truly flattened the curve. We’re doing great as a state. Let us walk through this together. That’s how we’re going to be strongest.”

By the end of the afternoon, Gaston County Manager Kim Eagle had sent a memo to county employees that they still needed to operate under the governor’s executive order.

“We would never ask our employees to break the law,” she wrote. — Anne Blythe

Updated model results

Scientists affiliated with Duke University, RTI International and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who have been modeling the different scenarios that could occur in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic released their latest report on Tuesday.

The modelers found that North Carolina appears to have the capacity in its health care system to accommodate a gradual reopening “as long as vigilance is maintained, since exceeding hospital capacity remains a plausible possibility.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said her team has followed the model reports as they also look at other metrics and data to determine how quickly social distancing restrictions should be eased.

“The researchers model shows us that a phased approach to ease restrictions will help us avoid any worse case scenarios when it comes to the capacity of our health care systems,” Cohen said. “They do warn that complacency could change that and that we need to be sure to keep up the actions as we slow the spread of the virus as we continue to loosen restrictions.” — Anne Blythe

What’s in store for people with underlying medical conditions?

As social distancing restrictions are eased, some of the chronically ill might not feel comfortable or be able to return to work in the so-called “new normal” in which people wear masks and have their temperatures checked to enter businesses and schools that are currently closed.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen said public health leaders are having discussions with business leaders about how they plan to protect their own employees with underlying health conditions and offer statewide advice for going forward.

Questions have arisen about whether some would be eligible for unemployment benefits and other safety-net programs that might not be available to them if employers require them to be on the job.

Cohen said she was just looking at data specific to North Carolina and the estimated 10.5 million people who live here for what percentage of the population has chronic underlying health conditions that might make them at higher risk for a severe reaction to COVID-19.

“It’s close to half of North Carolinians that have either heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity or other chronic conditions,” Cohen said. “We’re hoping to be able to release all of that information. But we’ve known for a while — that North Carolina — our overall health is not as good as I’d want it to be. As the secretary of health and human services, I have been working to try to improve the health of North Carolina, but we know that we have some challenges and have a lot of chronic disease here.”

That’s why Cohen is encouraging employers, the state and local governments to come up with ideas for protecting people with chronic disease.

“I don’t have all the answers today,” Cohen said. “This is where we need to work together on ways to look out for each other as we move through phases. It’s exactly why we want to move through these phases slowly because the more we can keep down the spread of the virus, the more it helps those who may be at high risk.” — Anne Blythe

Coronavirus by the numbers

According to NCDHHS data, as of Wednesday morning:

354 people total in North Carolina have died of coronavirus.
9,948 have been diagnosed with the disease. Of those, 551 are in the hospital. The hospitalization figure is a snapshot of people with coronavirus on a given day and does not represent all of the North Carolinians who may have been in the hospital throughout the course of the epidemic.
More than 118,000 tests have been completed thus far, though not all labs report their negative results to the state, so the actual number of completed coronavirus tests is likely higher.
Most of the cases (40 percent) were in people ages 25-49. While 23 percent of the positive diagnoses were in people ages 65 and older, seniors make up 87 percent of coronavirus deaths in the state.
86 outbreaks are ongoing in group facilities across the state, including nursing homes, correctional and residential care facilities.
There are 3,193 ventilators in hospitals across the state and 759 ventilators in use, not just for coronavirus cases but also for patients with other reasons for being in the hospital.

Bonuses coming for day care teachers

Child care workers are going to be getting even bigger bonuses for staying on the job.

Full-time teachers will receive $950 in both April and May, while other day care staff will get $525. (They had been getting $300 and $200 monthly bonuses from the state before).

Part-time staff will get half those amounts, all bonuses will be paid through their workplaces but funded through the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The bonuses are significant: Child care workers and early education teachers often earn low wages. The average hourly wage for an early education teacher was $10.50 in 2015.

The bonuses, announced through a set of N.C. DHHS child care payment policies updated Tuesday, are to incentivize day care centers to keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic for the health care, emergency workers and other essential employees that need care for their young children while working.

Nearly half – 44 percent – of the state’s child care centers have closed their doors, with great variance around the state, according to N.C. DHHS and Michele Rivest of the N.C. Early Education Coalition.

She and others have raised concerns that many day care centers, which are often locally owned and operated on thin margins, will struggle to reopen after the strict stay-at-home measures are lifted. – Sarah Ovaska

Mental Health Moment

Feel like you’re on a slippery slope? Perhaps a super slide toward unknown waters? Create your own caption for this dose of cuteness.

hands hold a tube of blood as a proxy for coronavirus tests and research

Coronavirus Today – April 27 -Contact tracers needed, Atrium Health clinical trial, names of nursing homes with outbreaks released

April 27, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – April 27 -Contact tracers needed, Atrium Health clinical trial, names of nursing homes with outbreaks released - North Carolina Health News

NCDHHS announced a contact tracing task collaborative to support local health departments through the pandemic. Meanwhile, the state released the names of nursing homes with coronavirus outbreak.

By North Carolina Health News staff

Help wanted: COVID contact tracers

Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, has found a partner to help double the number of coronavirus contact tracers in North Carolina.

The Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative was formed through a partnership with the state health department, Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) and the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NCAHEC).

The collaborative is looking to hire 250 people to join a statewide contact tracing team as North Carolina ramps up to conduct some 5,000 to 7,000 tests daily for COVID-19.

The tracers will contact people who might have had exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Once they make contact, they’ll explain how they can keep themselves and others safe from further spread of the virus, as well as connect people to health resources in their communities.

In North Carolina county and local health departments across the state, about 250 people currently do tracing work.

“North Carolina has a significant advantage over many other states doing this work because we have that strong public health infrastructure,” Cohen said.

The idea is that more testing and more tracers can help the state slow the spread of the virus.

“This also helps North Carolina understand the spread of the disease and more rapidly identify people who may have had COVID,” Cohen added.

Recruitment has started. Apply here.

“Special consideration will be given to those who are unemployed, have community engagement experience and live in the communities that they will serve,” Cohen added. — Anne Blythe

CDC expands COVID-19 symptoms list

Chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and a new loss of taste or smell have been added to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of symptoms associated with the coronavirus that scientists and regular people the world over are trying to understand.

The symptoms may appear two to 14 days after contracting the virus.

“We’ve been talking for a long time about fever and cough and shortness of breath,” Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said. “It’s very important for everyone to know, it’s not just cough and fever anymore. We want folks to be looking for chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat or a new loss of taste or smell.” — Anne Blythe

Find nursing homes with outbreaks

Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said people will now be able to find the names of nursing homes with COVID-19 outbreaks.

An outbreak is two or more positive cases, she stressed.

The state shifted gears in the face of a possible lawsuit being filed by a collaborative of media organizations, including North Carolina Health News.

“I think folks have known that we have always been trying to strike the balance of transparency and getting good data to folks, protecting public health and protecting individual privacy,” Cohen said. “It was really important as we go through this unprecedented pandemic to make sure that we’re coming back to revisit policies.”

The state’s dashboard will be updated twice a week with nursing home outbreak information, Cohen added. — Anne Blythe

Hamlet hospital almost ready

Mike Sprayberry, director of Emergency Management, made a trip to Hamlet in the morning to look at the Sandhills Regional Medical Center in the small Richmond County town.

The hospital is being prepared as an overflow care center for people who need hospitalization unrelated to COVID-19 if beds elsewhere are filled.

The office of emergency medical services and the National Guard have been cleaning and equipping the facility in case it’s needed during the pandemic. Sandhills could house about 50 patients, Sprayberry said.

State Medical Response System personnel and a North Carolina National Guard medical team would staff the hospital.

“We may not need it,” Sprayberry said. “But if we do, the facility will be ramped up and ready to go.” — Anne Blythe

Still short N95 masks and gowns

Mike Sprayberry, director of Emergency Management, said the state continues to have difficulty rounding up enough gowns and N95 masks to meet the 30-day supply goal target for easing social distancing restrictions in place.

Gov. Roy Cooper announced his phased reopening plan last week, and one of the factors included having enough personal protective equipment to last a month for workers on the front lines.

Coronavirus by the numbers

According to NCDHHS data, as of Monday morning:

306 people total in North Carolina have died of coronavirus.
9,142 have been diagnosed with the disease. Of those, 473 are in the hospital. The hospitalization figure is a snapshot of people with coronavirus on a given day and does not represent all of the North Carolinians who may have been in the hospital throughout the course of the epidemic.
More than 109,000 tests have been completed thus far, though not all labs report their negative results to the state, so the actual number of completed coronavirus tests is likely higher.
Most of the cases (40 percent) were in people ages 25-49. While 24 percent of the positive diagnoses were in people ages 65 and older, seniors make up 86 percent of coronavirus deaths in the state.
82 outbreaks are ongoing in group facilities across the state, including nursing homes, correctional and residential care facilities.
There are 2,978 ventilators in hospitals across the state and 669 ventilators in use, not just for coronavirus cases but also for patients with other reasons for being in the hospital.

Sprayberry said the state has more than a 100-day supply of gloves. There are surgical masks stocked up for at least 60 days, as well as enough face shields to last for at least 35 days.

The state has less than a week’s supply of gowns and N95 masks, Sprayberry said, though orders have been placed for more than 10 million gowns and 27 million masks.

Sprayberry said he expected shipments with nearly 800,000 masks, along with 25,000 gowns in the coming week. — Anne Blythe

New Hanover County expands COVID-19 testing capacity

Qualifying New Hanover County residents with coronavirus symptoms can now get tested for free, said county officials in a news release Monday.

Residents can call the county’s coronavirus call center, and if they have symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms listed in criteria created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they will be referred to a drive-thru testing site, the press release said. New Hanover County officials said they hope to reach uninsured people and residents who have limited access to health care with the new initiative.

“The number of lab-confirmed cases is likely not the full picture of COVID-19 in our community, so expanding testing gives us greater visibility and allows us to better monitor the disease in our community, identify cases that we can then perform contact tracing for, and contain further spread of the virus, especially as our community looks toward lifting mitigation measures,” public health preparedness coordinator Lisa Brown said in a press release.

To begin the screening process, residents can call the county’s Coronavirus Call Center at 910-798-6800. Those who meet the criteria will be referred to a drive-thru testing site in downtown Wilmington

The county has partnered with a private lab and has the capacity to test up to 2,400 residents over the next month, officials said. The state of North Carolina and the CDC advise testing be limited to people with more serious symptoms of coronavirus, but New Hanover County will allow those with mild cases to get tested as well, according to the news release, to get an idea of the number of mild cases in the community.

As of Monday, New Hanover County had 74 documented COVID-19 cases and three deaths. That number is expected to increase as the county’s testing capacity increases. –Liora Engel-Smith

Atrium Health to offer experimental COVID treatment to some patients

The science of treatment for COVID-19 is moving at a rapid pace, and clinical trials are starting on drugs that might have promise in treating the disease.

One of those pharmaceuticals is a cancer treatment called selinexor used to treat several kinds of blood cancer. Researchers believe it may have promise against coronavirus because of the way the drug works: it helps in blocking a type of protein that cells use to reproduce.

One advantage to selinexor is that it can be given in pill form, so patients do not need to be in the hospital to take the medication. Other promising therapeutics to fight COVID are largely drugs that need to be given intravenously in a medical setting.

“We know the fast pace in which everything is moving right now, and we appreciate the tremendous level of collaboration this entailed,” said Phil Butera, assistant vice president of clinical trials at Levine Cancer Institute, which will be the local partner for the XPORT trial. The Institute will be recruiting several patients each week for the study.

The landscape for coronavirus treatment has been changing fast. Late last week, the Food and Drug Administration put out a warning about hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine because they increased the risk of heart rhythm problems in many patients. The two drugs had received high-profile backing from Pres. Donald Trump. Multiple other medications are being studied as potential therapies, but health officials said not to expect one drug to be a “silver bullet” that solves all of the health problems caused by COVID-19.

“If HIV takes more than one drug [to be treated], I’m not sure why we think coronavirus SARS- CoV-2 will be cured with one,” said National Institutes of Health head Francis Collins last week during a webinar sponsored by the Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University. “We may very well have a circumstance where we need to think about combination therapies.” – Rose Hoban

COVID-19 outbreak at women’s prison in Raleigh

The more prison officials test for the coronavirus, the more cases they find. At least 70 inmates at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women (NCCIW) in Raleigh tested positive for the virus over the weekend, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.

DPS tested all 161 offenders in the Canary Unit, which houses a fraction of the inmates at NCCIW. It’s on the same campus in southeast Raleigh as the larger women’s prison facility which houses the majority of the inmates. All corrections staff across the state have been offered COVID-19 testing as well. The women who tested positive for COVID-19 were isolated from the rest of the population.

Prior to the unit-wide testing over the weekend, DPS reported that 10 inmates in the Canary Unit had tested positive for COVID-19. It’s unclear whether the larger inmate population at the women’s prison will be tested.

This is the second large-scale testing at a prison facility in North Carolina reported by DPS. The first was at Neuse Correctional Institute in Goldsboro, where 430 out of 640 inmates tested positive for the virus. So far, DPS has reported that two inmates have died from COVID-19 complications. There have been reports of other inmates hospitalized with the virus.

The mass spread within these two facilities is why prison legal advocates have filed lawsuits asking for the immediate release of certain, nonviolent inmates who are older or have underlying health conditions that make them more likely to suffer from complications of the virus. — Taylor Knopf

Worries about southern neighbors

Leading infectious disease experts at UNC Health are watching to see what happens as nearby states relax their restrictions and allow some retail and restaurants to reopen.

“We certainly worry about losing some of these control measures as we are tracing the outbreak,” said Emily Sickbert-Bennett, an epidemiologist who is a director of infection prevention at UNC Hospitals. Sickbert-Bennett and David Weber, the medical director of infection prevention for UNC Hospitals, shared their observations about COVID-19 with reporters Monday morning.

Given the long incubation periods of COVID-19, it could be two to four weeks before medical experts will know if the decision to lift restrictions in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee leads to spikes of cases in North Carolina from travelers crossing state lines, Weber said.

“We should have some concerns,” Weber said, as North Carolina and UNC have seen the number of cases start to plateau.

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper has said he’s worried about seeing looser restrictions in surrounding states undermine the work North Carolina has done to keep COVID-19 at bay. He doesn’t plan on significantly lifting restrictions until there’s a steady decline in positive cases, and a better ability to test and track any future positive cases.

In the call with reporters, Weber also noted that he and others at UNC were putting aside the term “social distancing,” and instead telling people to remain “physically distant.”

“We want people to stay separate, but we want them to stay socially connected,” Weber said.

In other words, people need to stay in touch, they just don’t need to be touching. – Sarah Ovaska

Mental health moment

Some folks are using their quarantines to teach old… er… cats new tricks. (And to hoard toilet paper.)

loooool i love these cat videos on tiktok pic.twitter.com/P3oJHA2WGl

— ً (@itswazzzz) March 27, 2020

Raw chickens hang from wires at a poultry plant. Poultry companies are selling chicken for cheap amidst coroanvirus

Poultry companies selling chicken cheap out of the back of trucks

April 25, 2020 by Greg Barnes

Poultry companies selling chicken cheap out of the back of trucks - North Carolina Health News

Companies say the sales are a way to be good corporate citizens during the pandemic, but there are also other forces at play.

By Greg Barnes

Maggie Hooks waited in a long line of vehicles that snaked from behind the Salemburg Fire Department to Main Street and far beyond.

Hooks and hundreds of others — perhaps more people than this small Sampson County town has residents — were there to get chicken that the House of Raeford was selling for less than a buck a pound out of the back of a refrigerated tractor-trailer.

The North Carolina-based poultry company has been doing these sales for some time now, taking its show on the road to Kinston, Rocky Mount, Pink Hill, Wilmington, Clinton, New Bern, Riegelwood. Even as far away as Louisiana, Georgia and South Carolina.

Another poultry processor has been doing the same. Mountaire Farms has held sales at its plant in Siler City, in Raeford, at the Farmers Market in Raleigh and elsewhere, causing traffic jams wherever it sets up shop. At a recent sale at its Siler City location, Mountaire sold out of 80,000 pounds of poultry in two hours.

Corporate citizens

Mountaire and the House of Raeford say they are conducting these sales primarily as a way to be good corporate citizens.

“As you know, grocery stores had a difficult time keeping up with demand once restaurants closed, and so we felt it was important to be a good community partner and see what we could do to make a difference,” Mountaire spokeswoman Catherine Bassett wrote in an email to NC Health News.

Hooks and others waiting in line in Salemburg agreed. Chicken is hard to come by in the grocery stores, and the prices are great.

But there may be something else going on here. The state’s order to close schools, restaurants and bars has diminished the demand for bulk sales of poultry.

While retail sales of chicken at grocery stores has increased, the processing plants have had to adjust their packaging. The companies sell poultry in bulk to restaurants and bars, while store-bought chicken is typically individually packaged.

Panic buying and other pressures

Converting processing plant operations from bulk to individual sales can be a time-consuming process, which is probably partly to blame for the absence of poultry and other meats in the grocery stores, said Rob Handfield, a distinguished professor of operations and supply chain management at N.C. State University.

Another N.C. State professor, Todd See, speculated that panic buying, at least in the early stages of the pandemic, also has led to the shortage of poultry on store shelves.

“People are stocking their freezers with more than they normally would,” said Dave Witter, a spokesman for the House of Raeford. “People are buying way more than they probably will ever need. They’re putting it in freezers. So that’s one of the reasons that stores can’t keep stock fast enough.”

Add to those problems a shortage of labor at some processing plants that had existed even before the pandemic. These days, as an increasing number of processing plants have reported outbreaks of the virus, plant employees have become reluctant to return to work.

The state Department of Health and Human Services has reported outbreaks at seven meat processing plants in the state. As of Thursday, 190 cases of COVID-19 had been reported at those plants, a DHHS spokeswoman said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no evidence to suggest that the coronavirus can be spread through food.

Lack of freezer space

Handfield and See said Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order, changes in meat packaging and a labor shortage could all be contributing to a backlog of chickens at the state’s poultry farms. It takes only about two months from the time a chick hatches until it is ready for market, they said. The chickens have to go somewhere.

Witter, the House of Raeford spokesman, said his company does mostly bulk sales of fresh poultry. He acknowledged that one reason for selling chicken directly to the public is a lack of freezer space.

“A lot of the freezer facilities are full right now, so we really don’t have too many places to put it,” Witter said.

But he said the House of Raeford can fairly easily regulate the number of chickens going to market to keep them from overpopulating the farms. According to published reports, at least one poultry company, Allen Harim Foods of Delaware, has had to kill up to 2 million chickens before they could be sold to consumers because of staffing shortages caused by the coronavirus.

Witter said the House of Raeford has not experienced much of a staffing shortage. Even it had, he said, the company would simply reduce the number of eggs at the hatcheries.

“If you don’t have the eggs then the chicken is not going to be there,” Witter said. “So that’s what we would do. We would certainly not be depopulating a farm. We’re not going to do anything like that. Oh, my goodness, I can’t imagine doing that.”

Witter said the main reason for selling chicken out of the back of a truck is to help its employees, its farmers and the countless number of people who are laid off or are struggling in other ways to put food on their tables during these trying times.

State agricultural officials say the chicken is safe, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is no evidence that the coronavirus has affected poultry, pork or beef.

Hooks and other people who waited in the long line at the Salemburg Fire Department seemed to appreciate the House of Raeford’s back-of-a-truck chicken sale. They definitely appreciated the low prices.

“We need some chicken. We low, low, low and it’s so good,” Hooks said.

Sec. Mandy Cohen speaks at a podium and Gov. Cooper is at the background blurred. They are at a briefing about coronavirus.

Coronavirus Today – April 24 – schools remain closed, sleep apnea machines, Cooper lays out COVID-19 spending plan

April 24, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – April 24 – schools remain closed, sleep apnea machines, Cooper lays out COVID-19 spending plan - North Carolina Health News

Schools will remain closed through the rest of the academic year, Gov. Cooper said on Friday, but remote learning will continue.

By NC Health News Staff

NC schools closed through school year, remote learning to continue

All those parents out there struggling to teach fifth grade math to their school-age children will be in the same boat through the end of the current school year.

Gov. Roy Cooper has extended his order banning in-person classes through then.

“All of us have been impacted by COVID-19 in some way,” Cooper said. “Our children and their parents have had some of the most abrupt disruptions to their lives and routines. Overnight, beloved teachers they saw in real life are now seen only on a computer screen. Friends are distant and ball fields are empty. Concert halls are quiet and the hum of hallways has turned to silence.”

“It’s such a confusing time to be a child,” Cooper added. “And it’s a hard time to be a parent, especially a working parent.”

As the remote learning continues in the weeks ahead, Cooper acknowledged challenges for some students where broadband access is limited, as well as difficulties for some who don’t have computers, smartphones or important technology connections at home.

The governor announced a partnership with AT&T, which will provide 100 hotspots in underserved areas. Duke Energy Foundation has agreed to provide 80 sites.

Mark Johnson, superintendent of the state’s K-12 public schools, said plans are being made for how to open schools in August amid the pandemic.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen said her public health team is working with school leaders to establish what classes might look like then, as well as offering guidance for summer camps and other groups that use school buildings and grounds.

“Rest assured, as the governor mentioned, we will operate our schools differently in the next school year, because the safety and security of your child and your child’s teacher, in our eyes, demands nothing less,” said Eric Davis, chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education.

“For centuries North Carolina has been home to seven majestic lighthouses, symbols of our strength, hope for the weary, and beacons of safe harbor for those in rough waters. Like these mighty lighthouses, we will continue to stand our ground with an unwavering commitment to ensure that your child’s school and every school endures the challenges before us and emerges from this pandemic stronger, more resilient and more effective in educating your child and every child in our great state.” —Anne Blythe

Quote of the day: “Everyone should know that Teacher Appreciation Day this year is always in the first week of May, this year happens to fall on May 5, that is Cinco de Mayo,” said NC State School Superintendent Mark Johnson, during a meeting of Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID Task Force on Friday morning. “There is a certain type of case of Corona, that the grocery stores are happy to stock and I’m sure every teacher in the state would be happy to get a case of that from parents across the state.”

Governor releases $1.4 billion coronavirus spending plan

Gov. Roy Cooper released his proposal for spending the $1.4 billion coming to the state to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic through the federal coronavirus relief bill.

The proposal comes out four days before the General Assembly, the keeper of the state pursestrings, is scheduled to convene.

“This won’t be the last request that we make,” Cooper said. “The budget package is intended to fund immediate needs in three main areas. Public health and safety, continuity of operations for education and other state government services, and assistance to small business and local governments. I’m recommending a strong investment to respond to this unprecedented crisis.

“We know people are hurting,” Cooper added. “Businesses are struggling, and governments are facing severe shortages because of this virus. That’s why we have to act now to get resources distributed in a smart and efficient way.”

Included in the proposal are:

$313 million for immediate public health and safety;
$740.4 million for education and state government services; and
$375 million for small business and local government assistance.

The breakdown includes:

$300 million for transportation operations;
$300 million for local government assistance;
$243 million for K-12 education;
$80 million for state government operations;
$78 million for school nutrition programs to help children who rely on schools for healthy meals;
$77.4 million for higher education
$75 million to help ramp up testing and tracing the virus, as well as for the purchase of personal protective equipment;
$75 million to help support for rural and underserved communities;
$75 million for a Golden Leaf Foundation program to offer interest-free grants of up to $50,000 for small businesses;
$40 million for additional Medicaid costs;
$25 million for food, safety, shelter and child care; and
$20 million for public health, mental health and crisis services.— Anne Blythe

No veto override vote this session

Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican leaders at the helm of the General Assembly had a stand-off over the budget last year, resulting in a series of mini-budgets to keep state government going without resolving disputes over teacher pay and Medicaid expansion.

Cooper vetoed the General Assembly spending plan, and there has yet to be a vote in both chambers to determine whether an override would be approved.

“Those who have followed my past budget recommendations know that the proposal does not contain everything that I want,” Cooper said of his plan for the $1.4 billion from the coronavirus relief bill. “But I present it after consultation with General Assembly members in both parties, and in the spirit of consensus and compromise.”

State Senate leader Phil Berger, a Republican from Eden, issued a statement on Friday saying the Senate would not take a vote on whether to override Cooper’s veto of the two-year spending plan that caused the stalemate last year. The House, in a meeting with many Democrats absent, has voted to override the veto, but the Senate has not voted on the matter.

“When we come back into session next week our focus will be on providing relief for North Carolina citizens suffering because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Berger said in a statement. “Our state’s financial outlook is in a vastly different place than it was before this pandemic hit. Because of that, we will not be reconsidering the veto of the state budget this year.”

Berger cautioned about austere times ahead.

“We’re staring down a multi-billion dollar revenue shortfall, which negatively impacts our ability to fund the vetoed budget,” Berger said. “In order to ensure that we can continue to operate basic government services into the next fiscal year, it’s more prudent to keep operating on the certified budget.”

Additionally, Senate budget writers sent a letter to Cooper asking him to instruct executive branch agencies — such as the state departments of Health and Human Services, Public Safety, and Commerce, which oversees the division reviewing unemployment claims, to find a one percent savings in their budget, to provide a $250 million cushion for state spending in the fiscal year that begins on July 1. — Anne Blythe

Coronavirus by the numbers

According to NCDHHS data, as of Friday morning:

269 people total in North Carolina have died of coronavirus.
8,052 have been diagnosed with the disease. Of those, 477 are in the hospital. The hospitalization figure is a snapshot of people with coronavirus on a given day and does not represent all of the North Carolinians who may have been in the hospital throughout the course of the epidemic.
More than 100,000 tests have been completed thus far, though not all labs report their negative results to the state, so the actual number of completed coronavirus tests is likely higher.
Most of the cases (40 percent) were in people ages 25-49. While 24 percent of the positive diagnoses were in people ages 65 and older, seniors make up 85 percent of coronavirus deaths in the state.
73 outbreaks are ongoing in group facilities across the state, including nursing homes, correctional and residential care facilities.
There are 3,233 ventilators in hospitals across the state and 699 ventilators in use, not just for coronavirus cases but also for patients with other reasons for being in the hospital.

House health-care work group signs on some of NC aging coalition’s priorities

A health care working group of the state General Assembly is recommending temporary, targeted coverage under Medicaid for people who have been touched by coronavirus and who earn up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, members of the North Carolina Coalition on Aging heard Friday.

In light of the unprecedented public expense caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the House COVID-19 Health Care Working Group also recommends that the state provide $50 million for personal protective equipment and other supplies, plus $25 million for testing, tracking and contact-tracing the disease.

House lawmakers move forward COVID-19 response bills

At a monthly meeting of the North Carolina Council on Aging on Friday, officials told members how legislators greeted the nonprofit’s recent proposals for aging-related spending in the budget to be completed during the short session to convene April 28. The temporary increase in Medicaid could help address issues including low-end staffing in many facilities.

In addition to the two chunks totaling $75 million, legislators said they would push for $25 million for the Department of Health and Human Services to respond to coronavirus-related food, shelter, child care and safety. A NCCOA request for $5 million for the perennially underfunded NC Adult Protective Services agency was folded into this packet of proposed money.

The health care working group said the legislature should ask the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to pay for audio-only health care communication, over telephone with no visual element as in telemedicine. Also recommended, $25 million for facilities that receive state-county special assistance, amounting to $1,325 per resident between March 10 and July 30. These centers include assisted living facilities and typically provide room and board to low-income people on Medicaid.

The working group also recommended spending $40 million for shortfalls in Medicaid including increased costs in long-term care, nearly insolvent providers, and COVID-19 testing and treatment. — Thomas Goldsmith

Do not ingest or inject disinfectants

Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Center For Health Policy and a former federal Food and Drug Administration commissioner, weighed in on President Donald Trump’s suggestion that physicians might want to consider ultraviolet light therapy or even injection of disinfectant to treat COVID-19.

Trump posed the possibility at a news conference on Thursday. In a webinar with reporters on Friday, McClellan quickly discounted such a notion.

“That’s definitely not a good idea,” McClellan said. “People really need to understand that disinfection is very important for surfaces, for things that they may come into contact with. There are very effective disinfectants for killing the virus and that is a critical part of reopening.”

In a 30-minute discussion, McClellan suggested that the “new normal” would look very different from the “old normal” with phased reopening of businesses, restaurants, movie theaters and bars with fewer people inside them spaced farther apart and possible pauses or steps backward from time to time.

Disinfectants will play a large role in keeping businesses and common surfaces clean through the pandemic, McClellan said.

On a day when #Lysol and #PresidentLysol were trending on social media after the president’s comments, RB, the parent company of Lysol and Detol, put out a statement to remind all that their products should not be ingested.

“[W]e must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route),” the company warning says. “As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information.”

Trump attempted to dial back on Friday the take on what he said Thursday. At a press briefing, he said he was just asking a sarcastic question to reporters, though he was looking at his health experts when he posed the questions.

To tamp down any confusion, McClellan urged the public to listen to Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, the medical experts on Trump’s COVID-19 task force.

“Ingesting disinfectants, or anything like that, it is still poisonous, it’s not a good idea for the treatments,” McClellan said. “It’s important for people to listen to the public health authorities, the people like Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, who are supporting these innovative programs and trying to accelerate them to make safe and effective treatments available. Disinfection is important but not for ingestion or for improving your outcome if you have or are at risk for COVID-19. ”

McClellan echoed what many have been saying about the importance of ramping up testing and contact tracing in the coming months, in a large part because there has been a lot of viral transmission from asymptomatic people.

“We don’t know if it’s just 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent, but it is a lot and it is a fundamental feature that we need to address in doing containment from here on out,” McClellan said. “That is why all of these distancing steps are so important.

“I was FDA commissioner during the SARS outbreak, and testing and tracing and contacts was much easier then because when people were symptomatic, or when people were able to spread the virus, they were very symptomatic, they were very sick, so that made identification of cases much easier, and containment much easier,” he added.

“Here, that’s not at all necessarily the case. So it’s very important for people even with mild symptoms, fever over a 104, sore throat, dry cough to stay home, workers to stay home and to get tested to see if this is COVID-19 or not and to be able to initiate the contact tracing. That’s also why testing of people who don’t have symptoms in high risk settings is also important.” — Anne Blythe

VA officials warn sleep apnea patients about using their breathing machines if infected

Health officials from the Durham Veterans Affairs Hospital sent out a warning today to their patients who use continuous or bilevel positive airway pressure machines, otherwise known as CPAP or BPAP. The machines are commonly used for people who have sleep apnea, a condition where a person stops breathing for short periods of time during sleep, disrupting their rest.

The officials warn that if a person using a CPAP or BPAP machine contracts the COVID-19, use of the machine, which forces air into a users nose, could “dispense air particles that could infect other members of your household,” and suggest that if a veteran becomes infected to not use their machine.

Dr. Raj Dasgupta answers questions about COVID-19 and sleep submitted by the public to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

In a press release, VA officials suggest that veterans who are diagnosed with COVID-19 avoid the use of alcohol and sedatives, sleep in a separate room from family members and follow other infection guidelines such as frequent handwashing to prevent spread of the disease. – Rose Hoban

Additional Thanks

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