NC Gov. Cooper will address state as COVID numbers continue to rise. Here’s how to watch
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will hold a news conference today as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to spike and schools statewide brace for a rocky reopening.
Cooper will appear at 3 p.m. alongside his coronavirus task force. His update comes as what he terms a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” continues to surge.
The state reported 2,828 hospitalizations from COVID-19 Tuesday, the highest level since January and nearly double the number from two weeks ago.
A week ago, DHHS reported that more than 90% of North Carolina’s hospitalized patients had not received a COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control has said that nearly all the state’s recent cases stem from the delta variant.
Meanwhile, Wake County, which has the state’s largest school system, is preparing to start classes for students on its traditional calendar Monday.
While masks will be mandated there, the district still has nearly 1,000 vacant jobs to fill and parents countywide are bitterly split over the face covering requirement. As of Wednesday, 71 of the districts statewide will require masks and 44 are making them optional.
Today’s news briefing starts at 3 p.m.
Cooper’s press conference will be streamed live at www.ncdps.gov/news-conference. Viewers can see it delivered in English, Spanish and American Sign Language.
Triangle television stations ABC 11, WRAL and CBS 17 will carry the broadcast live but often switch to streaming during the questions. Spectrum News generally airs the entire press conference. Those news outlets, along with PBS NC, also stream the briefing on their websites and news apps.
The governor’s office also offers updates on his official Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Those who cannot watch the briefing can listen live on WPTF radio, which is at 680 AM and 98.5 FM.
This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 10:54 AM with the headline "NC Gov. Cooper will address state as COVID numbers continue to rise. Here’s how to watch."