NC Coronavirus Updates

  

News coverage and resources related to the spread and response to the coronavirus in North Carolina and beyond.

For more information about the vaccine, check out Q&A: What We Know About North Carolina's COVID Vaccine Rollout.

Spokesman Says Tillis Is Improving After COVID Diagnosis

By • Oct 5, 2020
Thom Tillis speaking
http://thomtillis.com/ / Campaign Photo

A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina says that the senator is improving after experiencing mild symptoms following a positive COVID-19 test.

NC Furniture Industry Booming Amid Pandemic

By • Oct 5, 2020
Olga Lopez, department superior, blowing and stuffing department, turns the material right sided before it is stuffed at Piedmont Furniture Industries Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, in Ramseur, N.C.
Lynn Hey / For WUNC

Business is booming for the furniture industry — especially home furnishings.

It's a stark contrast to the number of businesses that have had to permanently close and lay off staff as the world is in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senator Thom Tillis Tests Positive for Coronavirus

By • Oct 2, 2020
Thom Tillis speaking
http://thomtillis.com/ / Campaign Photo

Republican Senator Thom Tillis confirmed on Friday that he tested positive for COVID-19.

UNC Charlotte Will Test Students For Coronavirus Through Sewage

By • Oct 1, 2020

Updated Oct. 2, 10 a.m.: UNC Charlotte reports that evidence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was found in its routine sampling in one residence hall. All students in that hall were told to quarantine until they could be tested for COVID-19. 

How do you prevent the coronavirus from spreading inside a college dorm? UNC Charlotte thinks it's found an answer, and it's down in the dorm's basement, flowing through a sewage pipe.

NC A&T Has Few COVID-19 Cases. This HBCU's Students Say They Take The Virus Seriously.

By • Oct 1, 2020
North Carolina A&T State University student body president Brenda Caldwell says she wanted to attend an HBCU because of the "familial culture" and she thinks that culture is helping her university weather the pandemic.
Liz Schlemmer / WUNC

North Carolina A&T State University is the largest historically Black college or university, or HBCU, in the country. With 12,000 students, it's about average for the UNC System, yet it has one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 spread among public universities in the state.

Students there have some ideas about why the school is, so far, managing the pandemic well.

NC Moves To Phase 3 But COVID Progress Is 'Fragile'

By • Sep 30, 2020
Governor Roy Cooper in a candid photo wearing his black face mask where he gives coronavirus briefings.
File Photo, Courtesy Governor Roy Cooper Twitter

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Wednesday that bars, amusement parks and movie theaters can partially reopen starting on Friday under a new Phase 3 order.

WATCH: State Officials Hold Coronavirus Briefing

By • Sep 30, 2020

Governor Roy Cooper and members of the state Coronavirus Task Force are scheduled to share updates on COVID-19.

Watch here live, starting at 2 p.m.

All Those We’ve Lost

By & • Sep 29, 2020
Tested Podcast logo

With more than one million deaths worldwide, it can feel nearly impossible to fully grasp the toll COVID-19 has taken across the globe. The consistent stress of the pandemic, and an ever-increasing death count can sometimes be too much for our brains to comprehend. 

Host Dave DeWitt talks with Elke Weber, professor of psychology, public affairs, energy, and the environment at Princeton University, about adapting to stress and numbness tied to the pandemic.

Dave also highlights a recent study that examined ghost forests along the North Carolina coast and how they serve as indicators of climate change’s consequences.


What It's Like Inside LabCorp's North Carolina Coronavirus Testing Lab

By • Sep 29, 2020


Three women wearing white lab coats, masks, face shields and gloves stood around a table on a recent afternoon at LabCorp's Burlington headquarters, using box cutters to open packages. Inside each package was a box containing a plastic sample tube.

These are the company’s at-home coronavirus test kits. They’re among the tens of thousands of coronavirus test swabs from across the U.S. that the North Carolina lab location receives daily.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of Sept. 28

By • Sep 28, 2020
NC National Guard Covid Mask
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell, via Flickr / https://bit.ly/349yfMJ

This post will be updated periodically with the latest information on how the coronavirus is affecting North Carolina. Scroll down for older updates. For a recap of last week's news, check out Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of Sept. 21.

6:30 p.m. - Bars that have survived this long into the pandemic are now allowed to open to customers at 30% capacity outdoors. Phase 3 of Governor Roy Cooper's pandemic reopening plan went into effect at 5 p.m. The 11 p.m. curfew on alcohol sales in bars and restaurants is still in place. - Rebecca Martinez, WUNC

New Study Links College Reopenings To Spike In COVID-19 Cases

By • Sep 24, 2020
Charles Jacocks, rear, along with his wife Carrie and incoming freshman Ann Grace, right, carry their belongings as college students begin moving in for the fall semester at N.C. State University in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, July 31, 2020.
Gerry Broome / AP

A new study links college reopenings to spikes in COVID-19 cases across the country. The study is co-authored by UNC Greensboro economics professor Martin Andersen, Davidson College education professor Chris Marsicano and others. Marsicano is also the Director of the College Crisis Initiative.

NC Governor: Outdoor Venues Could Reopen At Reduced Capacity

By • Sep 22, 2020
Carter-Finley Stadium, where the North Carolina State University Wolfpack play home football games.
N.C. State Athletics

College and professional sports teams in North Carolina may soon be allowed to host a few thousand fans in outdoor stadiums, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Tuesday.

'Enormous And Tragic': U.S. Has Lost More Than 200,000 People To COVID-19

By • Sep 22, 2020

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 200,000 on Tuesday — reaching what was once the upper limit of some estimates for the pandemic's impact on Americans. Some experts now warn that the toll could nearly double again by the end of 2020.

"I hoped we would be in a better place by now," said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "It's an enormous and tragic loss of life."

Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of Sept. 21

By • Sep 21, 2020
COVID coronavirus mask kids bikes police greenville
City of Greenville, via Flickr / https://bit.ly/2RONEMk

This post will be updated periodically with the latest information on how the coronavirus is affecting North Carolina. Scroll down for older updates. For a recap of last week's news, check out Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of Sept. 14.

3:40 p.m. - The state is adding data on antigen testing to its COVID-19 dashboard. The new information will include cases and deaths diagnosed with an antigen test, and the number of antigen tests completed daily. Formerly the health department only reported tests confirmed with a molecular test that detects the virus's genetic material. Antigen tests, which account for roughly 2% of COVID-19 tests in North Carolina, look for specific proteins on the surface of the virus. The department says it can add the antigen testing data due to improved reporting processes, and is joining 31 other states in doing so. - Cole del Charco, WUNC

WATCH: State Officials Hold Coronavirus Briefing

By • Sep 17, 2020

Governor Roy Cooper and members of the state Coronavirus Task Force will deliver a public coronavirus briefing at 3 p.m., followed by questions from the media.

Watch live, beginning at 3 p.m.:

COVID-19 Death Rates Are Higher In NC’s Rural Counties. Here’s Why.

By & • Sep 17, 2020
Charts and graphs of COVID-19 surveillance reports
Hertford County Government

Though COVID-19 struck North Carolina’s suburban and urban communities earliest, the virus has begun to sweep through the state’s rural communities at an alarming rate. 

Dan Forest Pushes For Schools To Reopen Without Mask Mandate

By • Sep 16, 2020
Chris Carlson / AP Photo

North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said on Wednesday that he would immediately reopen all K-12 public schools without requiring students or teachers to wear masks if he were governor.

WATCH: State Officials Hold Coronavirus Briefing

By • Sep 15, 2020

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen and Director of North Carolina Emergency Management Mike Sprayberry will be available for a briefing regarding COVID-19.

Watch live here, starting at 2 p.m.

Pandemic Vs. Pandemic: COVID-19 Hampers Fight Against HIV

By • Sep 14, 2020
Kim Chandler / AP Photo

As COVID-19 swept through the South, Mel Prince watched with alarm as some of the HIV positive patients she helps in the rural Black Belt stopped showing up for lab tests and doctor's visits.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of Sept. 14

By • Sep 14, 2020
Robert Willett/The News & Observer / via AP, Pool

This post will be updated periodically with the latest information on how the coronavirus is affecting North Carolina. Scroll down for older updates. For a recap of last week's news, check out Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of Sept. 7.

4:20 p.m. - North Carolina's unemployment rate declined in August. The seasonally adjusted rate was 6.5%, which was down two percentage points from July's revised rate. North Carolina's unemployment rate in August was 2.7% higher than the same month last year. Unemployment in North Carolina has remained lower than the national average since the pandemic struck in March. - Liz Schlemmer, WUNC

'Decoding The Dashboards,' A Tested Takeover

By , & • Sep 8, 2020
politics politics podcast logo

As COVID-19 cases climb at many colleges and universities in North Carolina, schools are maintaining dashboards to track and present different data and terminology. But are the dashboards enough of a resource to keep students and faculty informed about the virus on their campus?

On this edition of the Politics Podcast, we're featuring an episode from Tested, a podcast at WUNC that takes a hard look at how North Carolina and its neighbors are facing the day's challenges.

Tested host Dave DeWitt talks with WUNC education reporter Liz Schlemmer about the role of dashboards in tracking COVID-19 cases at colleges and universities.
 


Decoding The Dashboards

By & • Sep 8, 2020
Tested Podcast logo

As COVID-19 cases climb at many colleges and universities in North Carolina, schools are maintaining dashboards to track and present different data and terminology. But are the dashboards enough of a resource to keep students and faculty informed about the virus on their campus?

Host Dave DeWitt talks with WUNC education reporter Liz Schlemmer about the role of dashboards in tracking COVID-19 cases at colleges and universities.
 


Open Playgrounds Welcome News For Many, But Not All Parents

By • Sep 8, 2020
Playgrounds throughout Durham, N.C. city parks were closed March 26, 2020 after Mayor Steve Schewel issued a stay-at-home order for the city in an effort to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
Chuck Liddy / For WUNC

Five months after the pandemic forced many public places to shut down, playgrounds have reopened. It's welcome news for many parents, but not necessarily all. 

NC Beach Rental Companies Prepare For A Busy Fall

By • Sep 8, 2020
File photo of homes along Topsail Beach, N.C.

Many coastal North Carolina vacation rental companies say it's been a busy summer despite the coronavirus pandemic, and they're not expecting a slowdown any time soon.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of Sept. 7

By • Sep 8, 2020
Coronavirus N.C. State prep mask
Gerry Broome / AP

This post will be updated periodically with the latest information on how the coronavirus is affecting North Carolina. Scroll down for older updates. For a recap of last week's news, check out Coronavirus Live Updates: Week of Aug. 31.

5:20 p.m. - The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill is anticipating even more financial losses due to COVID-19. Already, the university has lost an estimated $54 million in revenue from on-campus activities. Nate Knuffman, the university's interim finance chief, said during a meeting with faculty and staff today there could be more losses from hospital operations and athletics.

"When including these impacts, structural issues, and potential spring 2021 losses, we could see a financial impact of $300 million dollars this fiscal year," said Knuffman, adding it's important to note that this estimate doesn't include potential impacts in the event of a state budget shortfall as economic activity has fallen off during the ongoing pandemic. - Cole del Charco, WUNC

Cooper Says He'll Sign North Carolina COVID-19 Aid Package

By • Sep 4, 2020
Governor Roy Cooper in a candid photo wearing his black face mask where he gives coronavirus briefings.
File Photo, Courtesy Governor Roy Cooper Twitter

North Carolina’s Democratic governor announced Friday that he will sign a Republican-authored plan Friday to spend $1.1 billion of the state’s remaining federal COVID-19 relief funds on aid to families with children, unemployment benefits and efforts to fight the virus.

Undocumented And Uninsured: The Cultural Implications Among Latinos At Hospitals During COVID-19

By • Sep 3, 2020

Ana Chagoyán lost her 40-year-old brother Juan from what a Charlotte hospital says was COVID-19 pneumonia. Before Juan's death on July 20, Ana said, her 57-year-old mother was in critical condition with COVID-19.

In School Districts That Opted For Plan B, Some COVID-19 Worries Persist

By & • Sep 3, 2020
Union County Public Schools

More than 60% of North Carolina’s student population attends school in a district that started the fall quarter with remote-only instruction. But some county school districts, including Buncombe, Onslow, Gaston, Union and Harnett decided to start the new school year under Plan B, which provides partial in-person instruction.

WATCH: State Officials Hold Coronavirus Briefing (Spanish)

By • Sep 3, 2020

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is holding briefings Thursday regarding COVID-19. At 3 p.m., Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi will announce updates and the new campaign in Spanish, and answer questions from the media in Spanish.

Watch here, live:

Undocumented And Uninsured: NC Family’s Battle With COVID-19 And The Health Care System

By • Sep 2, 2020

Sitting at home and from her cellphone screen on July 24, Ana Chagoyán, a Mexican mother who lives near Charlotte, said her last goodbye to her brother Juan. He was just 40 years old.

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