COVID-19 Situation Update: January 12 | Eastern North Carolina Now

News Releases:

    As of 11:55 a.m. today:

    Newly Reported Cases: 25,445

    Daily Percent Positive: 30.9%

    NC Currently Hospitalized: 4,098

    NC Total Deaths: 19,763

    Percent of Adult Population at Least Partially Vaccinated: 74%

    Percent of Adult Population Fully Vaccinated: 70%

    More data are available online at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard.

    Daily Update:

• In the face of nationwide competition for testing supplies and shortages of testing staff, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is pulling all available levers to support existing testing sites, to open more sites across the state and to increase access to at-home collection kits.
• The FDA now authorizes and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends individuals who received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine get a booster dose after five months. This announcement from federal agencies comes just days after the announcement of a shortened wait time for a booster from six months to five months for individuals who received the Pfizer vaccine.
• With COVID-19 cases reaching pandemic highs, NCDHHS urges K-12 schools to promote vaccination and boosters for students and staff and require students and staff wear masks indoors to keep students in the classroom and limit the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
• The CDC announced it recommends the Pfizer COVID-19 booster for children ages 12 to 15 to further protect them from COVID-19. The CDC also recommends a third dose of Pfizer for children ages 5 to 11 who have compromised immune systems. Read more.
• NCDHHS announced it will issue the first round of Student Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer benefits this week for students eligible between the months of September and November 2021.
• We want to hear from you: Please take the NCDHHS Dashboard Survey.

    COVID-19 Vaccinations:

• A free COVID-19 vaccine is available to all who want it. Vaccination is now open to everyone 5 and older. Visit MySpot.nc.gov to find a location.
• To strengthen and extend protections against COVID-19, boosters are now available to all North Carolinians 16 and older. If you are eligible, you should get a booster now.
• If you received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you can get your booster six months after your second shot. If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you can get your booster two months after your shot. Anyone over 50 or at high risk should get a booster dose now.
• You can choose any brand of COVID-19 vaccine for your booster shot. Limited preliminary evidence suggests that booster doses of one of the two mRNA vaccines - Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech- more effectively raise antibody levels than a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
• The CDC also recommends a third dose of Pfizer for children ages 5 to 11 who have compromised immune systems.
• To learn more about boosters and to find a spot to take your shot, go here.
• For more information on the COVID-19 vaccines, visit YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov or call the COVID-19 Vaccine Help Center for free at 1-888-675-4567.

    COVID-19 Testing & Treatment:

• If you develop symptoms, get tested immediately and isolate until you receive your test results. If you test positive, follow isolation recommendations. If you do not develop symptoms, get tested at least five days after you last had close contact with someone with COVID-19.
• To find a testing site near you, visit ncdhhs.gov/GetTested. For an up-to-date list of no-cost community testing events, visit the No-Cost Testing Events webpage. Additionally, all North Carolinians can request a free at-home COVID-19 testing kit.
• While vaccines provide the best protection from COVID-19, treatment options such as monoclonal antibodies are available if you have had symptoms of COVID-19 for 10 days or less or have been exposed to COVID-19. If taken early, they can reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death. Ask your doctor about monoclonal antibodies, call the Combat COVID Monoclonal Antibodies Call Center at 1-877-332-6585 (English) or 1-877-366-0310 (Spanish), or find treatment near you.

    ICYMI:

    Last week, Governor Cooper signed Executive Order 245 to strengthen the state's ongoing fight against COVID-19 with more health care workers and flexibility for care facilities, as well as easier access to vaccines, tests and treatments.

    With cases of COVID-19 reaching record highs and hospitalizations increasing, Governor Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley called on all North Carolinians to get vaccinated and get a booster as soon as they are eligible to protect themselves from severe illness from the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19.

    NCDHHS announced the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program will expand to include all low-income households needing assistance in paying their water bill.


   

    For a full list of the department's videos on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines, visit the NCDHHS YouTube Channel. Videos can also be downloaded for use on the NCDHHS Vimeo Channel.

   

    For more information and updates on COVID-19, visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov and nc.gov/covid19. Those with COVID-19 vaccine questions can call the COVID-19 Vaccine Help Center at 1-888-675-4567, or visit YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov.

    Contact:

    North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

    Email: news@dhhs.nc.gov  •  Phone: (919) 855-4840