COVID-19

Cooper signed an executive order Monday terminating the emergency at the end of the day. He already announced last month it would end now because the state budget law contained health care provisions that would allow his administration to keep responding robustly to the virus.

UNC Johnston is like a lot of other hospitals in North Carolina right now. The big spikes in COVID-19 patients that stretched the health system to nearly its breaking point are in the past. Hopefully for good. But the coronavirus is going to be a way of life for a long time - and that’s meant long-term changes for hospitals.

NCDHHS officials say the two-dose Novavax vaccine will soon be available to North Carolinians over the age of 18 who have not yet been vaccinated.

Pediatricians and public health offices around North Carolina are getting doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week and say they are ready for parents to bring their little ones. State health officials encourage parents to vaccinate their children, saying the vaccine is safe and effective.

Multiple medications are available across NC for patients with severe COVID-19 infection. But whether they are being used or just sitting on the shelves can be hard to pin down.

All historically Black colleges and universities in the UNC System have used federal COVID relief funds to offer free summer school to at least some students in recent years.

In a statement, Gov. Cooper said he’s feeling fine, though he’s been experiencing mild symptoms. The 65-year-old is vaccinated and has received two booster shots.

The initiative is focused on people aged 16 to 24 who struggled with staying in school or college during the pandemic.

Pfizer plans to submit new data to the Food and Drug Administration this week, bringing families with young children one step closer to a long-awaited vaccine.

The Pfizer booster is the only brand currently available to children in this age range.