Coronavirus updates for Jan. 12: Here’s what to know in North Carolina this week
We’re tracking information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back every Thursday for updates.
20,000 new COVID cases reported
At least 20,727 new coronavirus cases were reported in North Carolina last week, down from 23,322 the week before, according to preliminary data from state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services also reported 1,659 new weekly COVID-19 hospital patient admissions, an increase from 1,585 the previous week, according to figures through Jan. 7, the most recent metrics available. The daily average of adult coronavirus patients in intensive care was 201, compared to 148 the week before.
The figures — which were released Wednesday, Jan. 11 — show roughly 78% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 74% have finished an initial round of vaccine doses. Of the state’s total population, about 63% finished their initial round and about 67% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination metrics to the nearest whole number.
“Out of all people who have finished their initial vaccines in North Carolina, 59% have been vaccinated with at least one booster, and 20% with an updated omicron booster,” the health department wrote on its website.
Health officials have urged those who are eligible to get boosted, as data shows it offers increased protection against the omicron coronavirus variant. Across the state, almost all new COVID-19 cases were attributed to the omicron variant’s “lineages” in the two weeks leading up to Dec. 31, the latest time period for which data is available.
Long COVID symptoms fit into 4 main categories, study finds
Health problems can linger weeks or months after a coronavirus infection, and now researchers have divided long COVID symptoms into four categories.
As McClatchy News reported on Jan. 11, researchers found the “major” types of symptoms were:
- “Heart, kidney and circulatory problems
- Respiratory issues, anxiety, sleep disorders and chest pains
- Musculoskeletal and nervous system issues, including arthritis
- Digestive and respiratory issues”
A team at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York said it created the categories after studying more than 34,000 patient records. The results offer “a window into this condition, allowing us to better characterize long COVID symptoms, informing other types of research including foundational discoveries and clinical trials,” said Dr. Rainu Kaushal, an author on the study published last month.
More details on the long COVID research are available here.
This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 7:08 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates for Jan. 12: Here’s what to know in North Carolina this week."
