Coronavirus update for North Carolina | News

At least 2,611,733 coronavirus cases have been reported in North Carolina, and at least 22,961 people have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.

The NC Department of Health and Human Services on March 14, reported 373 new COVID-19 casesdown from 955 on March 13 and 1,802 on March 12. The state doesn’t update case counts over the weekends.

An additional 39 coronavirus-related deaths were added to the total.

At least 854 people were reported hospitalized with COVID-19 as of March 14, including 164 adults being treated in intensive care units. The patient count was up from 813 the day before.

As of March 12, the latest date with available information, 2.6% of coronavirus tests analyzed across the state were reported positive. Health officials say 5% or lower is the target rate to slow the spread of the virus.

Roughly 76% of adults in North Carolina have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and about 71% are fully vaccinated. Of the state’s total population, about 61% are fully vaccinated and about 65% have received at least one dose. State officials round vaccination numbers to the nearest whole number.

More than 3.2 million ”additional/booster” doses had been administered in North Carolina as of March 14, the health department said. Health officials have urged those who are eligible to get boosted, as data suggests it offers increased protection against the omicron coronavirus variant.

Across the nation, virtually all new COVID-19 cases were attributed to the omicron variant and its related “lineages” as of March 5, the latest date for which data is available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new coronavirus variant known as deltacron has recently been found in the US and at least three European countries, just as COVID-19 cases and mask mandates in North Carolina are on the decline.

Deltacron contains elements from the omicron and delta variants and is known as a “recombinant virus,” The Charlotte Observer reported. It’s still too soon to say whether the newest variant is more severe than the delta or omicron variants that came before.

Scientists do, however, believe it could spread rapidly.

Unemployment payments were delayed in North Carolina in early 2020, a period that included the start of the coronavirus pandemic, a state audit shows.

“As a result, $438 million of financial assistance was not received by unemployed North Carolinians during a time of great need,” state auditor Beth Wood said in a news release.

The audit covered a three-month period from January to March 2020. Unemployment claims started to rise in March as coronavirus-related shutdowns closed several businesses, The News & Observer reported.

During the pandemic, North Carolinians faced long waits and other problems as the state’s unemployment agency faced more jobless claims than ever. The audit found the NC Department of Employment Security wasn’t ready for the economic impacts of COVID-19.

“In response to Wood’s audit, Commerce Department Secretary Machelle Sanders said they did not disagree with any of Wood’s findings and have been working on improvements,” the N&O reported.