With NC’s COVID-19 trends in ‘wrong direction,’ governor urges people to pull together
On the day North Carolina saw a record one-day increase of coronavirus cases, Gov. Roy Cooper issued a more urgent call Thursday for people to comply with basic safety protocols, including wearing a face mask and avoiding large gatherings.
The state’s spike in cases — the highest one-day record since the pandemic began in March — and rise in hospitalizations come as North Carolina’s Phase 3 is set to expire Oct. 23. But Cooper did not offer any hints about whether he will extend or repeal some of the guidelines, saying he will examine the data next week.
“Recently, like much of the country and other parts of the world, we’ve seen higher numbers,” Cooper said at a news conference Thursday. “It will be important to continue watching these numbers over a 14-day period. But one thing is clear. We must be even more vigilant in our effort to prevent the spread of this virus.”
Meanwhile, Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said they are working on the state’s plan for vaccine distribution priorities that is expected to be ready Friday.
Cohen said the metrics the state considers, such as new cases, hospitalizations, and people who go to hospital emergency departments are “going in the wrong direction.”
The 7-day average for new cases is 1,935, compared to 1,784 a week ago. Daily COVID-19 hospitalization pushed past 1,000 on Oct. 6.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force’s latest report says the state is back in the “red zone” for new COVID-19 cases, The Center for Public Integrity reported, meaning there are 100 new cases for every 100,000 people.
People are spending more time indoors, where the virus spreads more easily. The recent case increases are not connected to any location or activity, Cooper said.
“There’s not one geographical area or industry to blame,” Cooper said. “I know we’re all tired of this. It’s frustrating to feel confined and to do the things we need to do to slow the spread of the virus. But we can’t let weariness and frustration win out.”
That includes wearing face coverings with people who aren’t immediate family members.
Cohen said COVID-19 can still be a deadly virus “even to those who have no underlying conditions or are younger,” and urged everyone to work together to control the spread.
Nearly half of adults in North Carolina have an underlying health condition that puts them at higher risk, she said. Cooper said added that having a pre-existing condition or being over 65 “shouldn’t be a death sentence.”
Vaccine plan in the works
Cooper and Cohen told reporters Thursday that the state anticipates turning in their vaccine plan to the federal government on Friday.
The plan will include how North Carolina will prioritize who gets vaccines, such as front-line health care workers and nursing homes residents and staff, and those more at-risk of contracting the virus.
“At the beginning, we need to understand that there is only going to be a limited supply of those vaccines, so we’re going to have to prioritize certain folks who will be able to get access to that vaccine at first,” Cohen said.
Cohen said a number of vaccines are in trials right now but have yet to apply for approval with the Food and Drug Administration. As vaccine production ramps up, the plan will prioritize how it is distributed, she said.
Phase 3 set to expire
Phase 3 opened movie theaters at 30% capacity, or 100 people, whichever is less, for each screen. Bars were also allowed to open, but outdoors only at 30% of outdoor capacity, or 100 guests, whichever is less. Bars that don’t have outdoor seating can open outdoor spaces to no more than seven people for every 1,000 square feet of outdoor area. The 11 p.m. alcohol curfew for on-site consumption is still in place.
Cooper said the state’s next steps will be determined by following two or three weeks of data. He said he would announce next week if Phase 3 would expire or be extended.
“I think you need a measured approach, and we took the advice of health officials, looking at the science at the time, looking at the data and made decisions about the gradual easing of safeguards,” Cooper said. “We also know that it just isn’t the safeguards that you put in place. It’s whether people pulled together and abide by them and do the things that we need to do collectively to slow the spread, and we need all leaders throughout the state to set good examples.”
Cohen said if the state has to pull back, it will start with high-risk activities.
“It’s a matter of high-risk activities we’re doing all at the same time,” she said.
Lines were long outside polling places in the state’s most populous counties for the first day of early voting. DHHS said in published guidance that masks should be worn while voting, voters should wait six feet apart, and should wash their hands with soap and water before and after voting.
Cooper is seeking a second term, running against Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, a Republican. The handling of the pandemic took center stage Wednesday night during their first and only debate.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 4:59 PM with the headline "With NC’s COVID-19 trends in ‘wrong direction,’ governor urges people to pull together."
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