LIVE BLOG: National Guard members assisting as Piedmont vaccination appointments fill quickly – WXII12 Winston-Salem

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GOV. COOPER: WE HAVE CROSSED THE 7,000 MARK. WE ARE SENDING PRAYERS TO THE LOVED ONES WHO LOST TO THIS VIRUS AND THE PEOPLE FIGHTING IT NOW. WE TURNED A PAGE ON THE NEW YEAR, ONE THAT WE’RE HOPING WILL BRING US BETTER TIMES. WE KNOW, THIS VIRUS DID NOT DISAPPEAR AT MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 31. IN FACT, NORTH CAROLINA, WE HAVE SEEN SOME OF OUR HIGHEST CASE COUNTS, PERCENT POSITIVES, HOSPITALIZATIONS AND I.C.U. BED USAGE NUMBERS IN THE PAST FEW DAYS. AS SECOND MANDY COHEN WILL SHOW, 96 COUNTIES ARE NOW LABELED AS RED OR ORANGE MEANING CRITICAL OR SUBSTANTIAL VIRUS SPREAD. 96. NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE, WORK, WORSHIP OR PLAY, COVID-19 REMAINS A DEADLY THREAT AND WE GOT TO TREAT IT THAT WAY. A NEW HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS STRAND OF THE VIRUS HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE UNITED STATES AND WE NEED TO ACT AS IF IT’S ALREADY HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA. THIS SHOULD INSPIRE EVERYONE OF US TO DOUBLE-DOWN ON SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. TODAY I’M EXTENDING FOR THREE WEEKS THE MODIFIED STAY-AT-HOME ORDER THAT REQUIRES PEOPLE TO BE HOME BETWEEN 10-P.M. AND 5:00 A.M. OUR OTHER STRONG SAFETY MEASURES WILL REMAIN IN PLACE INCLUDING THE STATEWIDE MASK MANDATE, CLOSURE OF INDOOR BARS AND LIMITS ON MASKED GATHERINGS AND RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT CAPACITY. DR. COHEN WILL ALSO ISSUE A NEW SECRETARIAL DIRECTIVE TO CAUTION IN STARK TERMS AGAINST HAVING, AGAINST LEAVING YOUR HOME FOR ANY REASON OTHER THAN WORK, SCHOOL, HEALTHCARE NEEDS, OR GROCERIES. REMEMBER, THIS VIRUS SPREADS MORE WHEN YOU’RE INDOORS AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU TAKE OFF YOUR MASK. SIMPLY PUT, DON’T GO PLACES INDOORS WHERE PEOPLE AREN’T WEARING MASKS. DECIDING TO STAY HOME OR SAY NO TO AN INVITATION TO GET TOGETHER INDOORS CAN BE HARD, ESPECIALLY WITH PEOPLE THAT WE KNOW AND TRUST, BUT IT’S NECESSARY TO SAVE LIVES. AS WE WORK TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19, WE’RE ALSO HELPING LOCAL HOSPITALS AND HEALTH DEPARTMENTS TO SUPPORT THEIR VACCINE EFFORTS. GETTING THE VACCINE OUT QUICKLY IS THE MOST URGENT PRIORITY RIGHT NOW AND WE’LL USE EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE NEEDED TO GET THE JOB DONE. SECRETARY COHEN AND HER DEPARTMENT ARE DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB ONBOARDING MORE VACCINE PROVIDERS AND COORDINATING EFFORTS TO HELP PREPARE THOSE PROVIDERS TO GET THEIR SUPPLY OUT EFFICIENTLY. TO SUPPORT VACCINE EFFORTS, I HAVE MOBILIZED THE NORTH CAROLINA NATIONAL GUARD TO COORDINATE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND NORTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. FOR NOW, THIS MOBILIZATION INCLUDES APPROXIMATELY 50 GUARDSMEN AND WOMEN AND WE’LL ADD MORE AS NEEDED. SOME CAN ADMINISTER THE VACCINE. OTHER WILL SUPPORT LOGISTICS, PLANNING AND OTHER FUNCTIONS LIKE HELPING LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER PROVIDERS MAKE TIMELY DATA ENTRY INTO THE STATE’S TRACKING SYSTEM. TODAY WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT REPORTS OF SOME PEOPLE HAVE DECLINED TO TAKE THE VACCINE WHEN IT’S THEIR TURN. HOWEVER, AS MORE PEOPLE GET VACCINATED WITHOUT ANY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS, WE BELIEVE THAT MANY OF THOSE WHO ARE HESITANT WILL GAIN CONFIDENCE. THE COVID-19 VACCINE IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE. IT WAS APPROVED BY AN INDEPENDENT ADVISORY BOARD OF HEALTH EXPERTS. IT WILL EVENTUALLY BE OUR BEST MEDICAL WEAPON AGAINST THIS DEADLY PANDEMIC BUT AS WE SAID, IT WILL TAKE MANY MONTHS TO GET THERE. UNTIL THEN, WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE DATA AND USE OUR BEST PREVENTION TOOLS TO SLOW THE RAPID SPREAD OF THIS VIRUS. NOW I’M GOING TO ASK DR. COHEN TO SHARE AN UPDATE ON OUR DATA AND TRENDS AS WELL AS OUR VACCINE ROLLOUT EFFORTS. DR. COHEN: THANK YOU, GOVERNOR. AS YOU’LL SEE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS DATA, THERE IS AN ALARMING AMOUNT OF VIRUS EVERYWHERE IN OUR STATE. LET’S DIVE IN AND GET STARTED, AS A REMINDER, WE LOOK AT A COMBINATION OF TREND METRICS LIKE COVID-LIKE SYNDROME, NEW CASES, POSITIVE TESTS AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL TESTS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS. THIS FIRST GRAPH LOOKS AT PEOPLE WHO COME TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT WITH COVIDLIKE SYMPTOMS. I’S OUR EARLIEST DETECTION MECHANISM. YOU CAN SEE WHEN LOOKING AT THAT YELLOW LINE THAT THE TREND HAS CONTINUED TO RAPIDLY INCREASE AND IT’S AT ITS HIGHEST LEVELS SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN. NEXT WE LOOK AT NEW CASES, THIS FIRST GRAPH SHOWS YOU THE TRAJECTORY OF NEW CASES EACH DAY SINCE WE HAD OUR FIRST CASE BACK IN MARCH. YOU CAN SEE THAT YELLOW LINE HAS TAKEN A VERY SHARP INCREASE. IF WE NARROW IN ON THIS NEXT SLIDE OF THE TRAJECTORY OF CASES FROM EARLY NOVEMBER THROUGH TODAY, YOU CAN SEE THAT PICTURE THAT OUR CASES ARE TRENDING UPWARD SIGNIFICANTLY. ON THE FIRST DAY OF 2021, WE HIT A RECORD OF MORE THAN 9,500 REPORTED CASES IN A SINGLE DAY. WE STAYED ABOVE 9,000 THAT NEXT DAY ON SATURDAY, THESE ARE ALREADY ASTONISHINGLY HIGH NUMBERS AND WE DON’T THINK WE HAVE EVEN SEEN THE IMPACT FULLY OF THE HOLIDAYS YET. ON OUR NEXT SLIDE, WE LOOK AT THE PERCENT OF TESTS THAT ARE POSITIVE. THIS GRAPH ALSO GOES BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER AND LOOKING AT THAT YELLOW LINE, OUR PERCENTAGE OF POSITIVE TESTS HAS INCREASED OVER THE PAST 14 DAYS. IT’S BEEN ABOVE 16% FOR THE PAST TWO DAYS AND TODAY IS ABOVE 17%. AGAIN, THESE ARE OUR HIGHEST RATES SINCE STARTING THE PANDEMIC. ON OUR NEXT SLIDE, WE LOOK AT DAY OVER DAY HOSPITALIZATIONS. THIS GRAPH ALSO STARTS IN EARLY NOVEMBER AND YOU CAN SEE LOOKING AT THAT YELLOW LINE, THIS TREND ALSO CONTINUES TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE. WE ARE SETTING RECORDS BOTH WITH THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED WITH COVID-19 AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNITS. WE ARE SEEING INCREASES ACROSS THE STATE. HOSPITALS ARE FEELING CONSIDERABLE STRAIN. MANY ARE TAKING ACTIONS TO MANAGE CAPACITY INCLUDING STOPPING NONURGENT PROCEDURES SO THEY CAN FREE UP STAFF TO TAKE CARE OF COVID PATIENTS OPENING ADDITIONAL COVID UNITS AND PLANNING A FIELD HOSPITAL IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE. OK, SO IN SUMMARY, HERE IS WHERE WE ARE, SURVEILLANCE DATA HAS INCREASED, IT GETS A RED X. NORTH CAROLINA’S TRAJECTORY OF CASES IS UP, IT GETS A RED X. NORTH CAROLINA’S TESTS POSITIVE HAS INCREASED, THIS ALSO GETS A RED X. AND NORTH CAROLINA’S TRAJECTORY OF HOSPITALIZATIONS IS INCREASING, HOSPITALS ARE FEELING THE STRAIN AND THIS IS INCREDIBLY WORRISOME, BUT THEY ARE TAKING MORE ACTIONS TO MANAGE CAPACITY. WE’RE NOT QUITE AT RED, BUT WE ARE PAST YELLOW, SO THIS GETS AN ORANGE WARNING SIGN TODAY. NOW THAT WE HAVE TAKEN A LOOK AT OUR STATEWIDE METRICS, LET’S SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR COUNTIES. AS A REMINDER, THE COVID-19 COUNTY ALERT SYSTEM USES A COMBINATION OF THREE METRICS TO CATEGORIZE COUNTIES, CASE RATE PER 100,000 PEOPLE OVER 14 DAYS, PERCENT OF TESTS THAT ARE POSITIVE AND A COMPOSITE HOSPITAL IMPACT SCORE. USING THESE METRICS, WE CATEGORIZE COUNTIES INTO THREE COLORED TIERS TO DESCRIBE THEIR LEVEL OF VIRAL SPREAD AND EALTHCARE CAPACITY IMPACT. RED CRITICAL, ORANGE SUBSTANTIAL, YELLOW SIGNIFICANT. AND ON THIS SLIDE, WE SHOW AN UPDATED COUNTY ALERT MAP. AS YOU CAN SEE, ALMOST THE WHOLE STATE IS RED. WE NOW HAVE 84 COUNTIES IN THE RED AT CRITICAL LEVELS OF VIRAL SPREAD. IN OUR LAST REPORT JUST TWO WEEKS AGO, WE WERE AT 65 COUNTIES IN THE RED. IN ADDITION THERE ARE ANOTHER 12 COUNTIES THAT ARE NOW IN THE ORANGE WITH SUBSTANTIAL LEVELS OF VIRAL SPREAD. AS THE GOVERNOR SAID, 96% OF OUR COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA ARE RED AND ORANGE WITH ONLY THE REMAINING FOUR IN YELLOW STILL HAVING SIGNIFICANT VIRAL SPREAD. ON THIS LAST SLIDE HERE, YOU CAN SEE HOW QUICKLY THINGS CAN ESCALATE. THAT FIRST MAP AT THE TOP IS JUST ONE MONTH AGO, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE MAP ON THE BOTTOM, OUR STATE IS NOW MOSTLY RED. YOU CAN SEE IN THE DATA THAT I JUST SHARED THAT WE ARE IN A VERY DANGEROUS POSITION. GIVEN THIS HIGH LEVEL OF VIRAL SPREAD ACROSS THE STATE TODAY I AM ISSUING A SECRETARIAL DIRECTIVE ON IMMEDIATE ACTIONS NORTH CAROLINIANS NEED TO TAKE TO SAVE LIVES AND SLOW THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS. FIRST, YOU SHOULD STAY HOME AND ONLY LEAVE YOUR HOME FOR ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS GOING TO WORK OR SCHOOL, FOR HEALTHCARE, TO CARE FOR A FAMILY MEMBER OR BUY FOOD. IF YOU’RE OVER 65 OR AT HIGH RISK FOR DEVELOPING SERIOUS ILLNESS, USE DELIVERY SERVICES ORAL STERN TIV PICKUP METHODS FOR FOOD AND RETAIL. SECOND, DO NOT GATHER WITH PEOPLE THAT YOU DO NOT LIVE WITH. DO NOT GO TO ANOTHER PERSON’S HOME INDOORS AND DO NOT HAVE OTHERS OVER TO YOUR HOME INDOORS. WHEN YOU DO LEAVE HOME FOR ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES, ALWAYS WEAR A MASK AND KEEP DISTANCE FROM PEOPLE. COVID-19 IS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS AND MORE THAN HALF OF NORTH CAROLINIANS ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS. GIVEN THE LEVEL OF HIGH VIRAL SPREAD, THERE IS A HIGH RISK THAT YOU HAVE COVID RIGHT NOW AND DON’T KNOW IT. AS RECOMMENDED BY THE WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE, ASSUME THAT YOU BECAME INFECTED WITH COVID-19 AND GET TESTED IF YOU HAVE GATHERED WITH PEOPLE THAT YOU DO NOT LIVE WITH. IN ADDITION TO THE THREE W’S, WE DO HAVE A NEW TOOL TO COMBAT THIS VIRUS, VACCINES. OVER THE NEXT WEEK, LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND HOSPITALS WILL BEGIN OFFERING VACCINES TO ANYONE 75 YEARS AND OLDER. SOME COUNTIES HAVE ALREADY STARTED AND SOME ARE STILL VACCINATING HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND WILL MOVE ON SHORTLY. REMEMBER, VACCINE SUPPLIES ARE VERY LIMITED AND PEOPLE MAY NEED TO HAVE TO WAIT. BECAUSE SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED RIGHT NOW, MOST DOCTORS CANNOT PROVIDE VACCINES IN THEIR OFFICE. YOUR LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT OR HOSPITAL CAN HELP YOU GET YOUR SHOT IF YOU ARE OVER 75. OUR WEBSITE HAS CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LOCAL VACCINE PROVIDERS. WE’RE ALSO SETTING UP A TOLL FREE NUMBER TO HELP PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO FIND OUT WHERE TO GET THEIR SHOT. WHILE SUPPLIES ARE VERY LIMITED, THE ONES WE DO HAVE MUST GET INTO PEOPLE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. MOST HOSPITALS AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS RECEIVE VACCINE JUST OVER TWO WEEKS AGO AND THEY CONTINUE TO RAMP UP THEIR OPERATIONS AS THEY HANDLE VACCINE DISTRIBUTION. WE SENT OUT NEW GUIDANCE YESTERDAY TO ALL VACCINE PROVIDERS TO HELP THEM ADMINISTER SHOTS MORE QUICKLY AND THE GOVERNOR AS HE MENTIONED HAS MOBILIZED THE NATIONAL GUARD TO HELP LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS PTHAT NEED IT. MOVING FORWARD, THE STATE WILL MODIFY VACCINE MODIFICATIONS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF VACCINES THAT THEY REPORT GIVING. AT THE SAME TIME WE’RE HEARING REPORTS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE DECLINED TO RECEIVE THE VACCINE WHEN IT IS THEIR TURN. AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO HEAR THEIR CONCERNS AND THEN SHARE ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS VACCINE. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND, THESE VACCINES ARE BUILT UPON YEARS OF WORK TO DEVELOP VACCINES FOR SIMILAR VIRUSES. LIKE ALL VACCINES, THEY WERE RIGOROUSLY TESTED FOR SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS, MORE THAN 70,000 PEOPLE VOLUNTEERED IN CLINICAL TRIALS FOR THE TWO VACCINES TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE SAFE AND THAT THEY WORKED TO PREVENT COVID-19 AND TO DATE, THESE VACCINES ARE 95% EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING COVID-19. YOU CANNOT GET COVID-19 FROM THE VACCINE. YOU MAY HAVE TEMPORARY REACTIONS LIKE A SORE ARM OR HEADACHE OR FEELING TIRED OR ACHY FOR A DAY OR TWO AFTER RECEIVING THE VACCINE. REMEMBER, IT WILL TAKE MANY MONTHS TO VACCINATE EVERYONE WHO WANTS IT. UNTIL THEN, I DON’T WANT TO LOSE ANY MORE NORTH CAROLINIANS TO THIS PANDEMIC. SO LET’S DO ALL WE CAN TODAY TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM GETTING SICK, SAVE LIVES, AND MAKE SURE OUR HOSPITALS CAN CARE FOR PEOPLE WHETHER IT’S FOR A HEART ATTACK OR A CAR ACCIDENT OR COVID-19. KEEP WEARING A MASK, WAITING APART AND WASHING HANDS FREQUENTLY, AND WHATEVER YOUR REASON, GET BEHIND THE MASK, THANK YO GOV. COOPER: THANK YOU, DR. COHEN. THE NUMBERS PAINT A DARK AND DIFFICULT PICTURE. COVID-19 CONTINUES TO SPREAD RAPIDLY. WE ARE AT A CRITICAL POINT IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST THIS VIRUS. ALL OF US NEED TO TAKE STOCK OF OUR OWN ACTIONS AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE MODIFIED STAY-AT-HOME ORDER AND DR. COHEN’S SECRETARIAL DIRECTIVE. HELPING HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS NOW WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS THE STATE CONTINUES TO GET MORE VACCINE. BUT UNTIL THERE IS ENOUGH SUPPLY TO VACCINATE MOST OF THE STATE, THEN PREVENTION IS OUR BEST WEAPON. WITH HOSPITALS FEELING THE STRAIN AND MORE PEOPLE SICK, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE IMPORTANT TIME TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. I’M SURE MANY OF US SPENT RECENT DAYS IN THE NEW YEAR’S HOLIDAY THINKING ABOUT HOW WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING THIS PANDEMIC FOR NEARLY AN ENTIRE YEAR, IT’S TIRING, IT’S FRUSTRATING AND WE’RE ALL LONGING FOR THE WAY THAT THINGS USED TO BE. BUT IF WE WEAR OUR MASK AND AVOID RISKY ACTIVITIES, WE’LL GET TO THE OTHER S