Cooper Pushes For COVID Boosters, Won't Reimpose Mandates
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and top state health officials are making a push ahead of the holidays to expand free at-home testing and encourage vaccinated individuals to get a booster.
Mecklenburg County Increases Covid Testing Kit Capacity As Omicron Spread Continues
The Omicron variant now accounts for about 73% of Covid positive tests in the country.Β
Omicron Sweeps Across Nation, Accounts For 73% of US COVID-19 Cases
Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S. Federal health officials said Monday that omicron accounted for an estimated 73% of new infections last week.
Moderna: Initial Booster Data Shows Good Results On Omicron
Moderna said Monday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine should offer protection against the rapidly spreading omicron variant.
Omicron May Sideline Two Leading Drugs Against COVID-19
Antibody drugs from Regeneron and Eli Lilly have been the go-to drugs to keep patients out of the hospital. But the drugmakers have warned that their infused medications are far less potent against the latest variant.
OSHA Vaccine Mandate Penalties To Start January 10th
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration says it will not issue citations tied to its coronavirus vaccination mandate before Jan. 10. This will give companies time to adjust to and implement the requirements.
N.C. Health Experts Urge Booster Shots As Omicron Variant SpreadsΒ
Health experts are urging North Carolinians to get vaccinated and their booster shots as soon as possible, as they predict a surge in COVID-19 infections due to the presence of the Omicron variant.
Chester County Schools Going Remote Temporarily After Winter Break
Chester County Schools will operate remotely the week after winter break in anticipation of another spike in COVID-19 cases, school officials announced on Friday.
3 NFL Games Moved Due To COVID-19 Outbreaks
The NFL has moved three games because of COVID-19 outbreaks: Las Vegas at Cleveland from Saturday to Monday; and Seattle at the Los Angeles Rams and Washington at Philadelphia from Sunday to Tuesday.
COVID-19 Fears Dash Hopes For The Holiday Season...Again
This yearβs holiday season was supposed to be a do-over for last yearβs subdued celebrations. Instead itβs turning into a redux of restrictions, cancellations and rising angst over the never-ending pandemic.
CDC Panel Recommends Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines Over J&J Shot
U.S. health advisers are recommending that most Americans get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead of the Johnson & Johnson shot. Thursdayβs recommendation came after government advisers reviewed new safety data about rare but potentially life-threatening blood clots linked to J&Jβs shot.
Army: 98% Of Active Duty Got COVID-19 Vaccine By Deadline
The Army says 98% of its active duty force had gotten at least one dose of the mandatory coronavirus vaccine as of this weekβs deadline for the shots.
North Carolina Extends Pandemic Food Assistance Benefits For K-12 Students
Health officials say eligible K-12 students in North Carolina will continue to receive food assistance through the 2021-22 school year thanks to an extension of the P-EBT food assistance program.
Iredell-Statesville Schools Reimplement Mask Mandate Beginning January 5th
Masks will again be required in Iredell-Statesville Schools beginning January 5th, according to the school board.
North Carolina Health Officials Cite First Flu-Related Death
North Carolina health officials are reporting the first flu-related death of the season as the state continues to deal with COVID-19. Β
Pfizer Confirms COVID Pill's Results, Potency Versus Omicron
Pfizer says that its experimental COVID-19 pill appears effective against the omicron variant.
Omicron Variant Now In Mecklenburg County
The first case of the highly transmissible covid omicron variant is now in North Carolina. Mecklenburg County Health Officials say it's a UNC Charlotte student.
U.S. Expands Pfizer COVID Boosters, Opens Extra Dose To Age 16
The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters, opening a third dose of Pfizer's vaccine to people as young as age 16.
Re-Imagine Charlotte Gala Raises More Than $140K For Cancer Research
The American Cancer Society raised more than $140,000 for cancer research at its annual gala, Re-Imagine Charlotte, this 2021.
UNC Charlotte Sequencing Lab Searching For Omicron Covid Variant In Mecklenburg County
Charlotte area doctors and scientists at UNC Charlotte are increasing their workload to detect the new Omicron Covid variant.Β
Asheville Nonprofit Releases Punk Holiday Album Benefitting Overdose Prevention Efforts
Asheville nonprofit Musicians for Overdose Prevention and Holy Crap Records will drop a new, punk holiday album on Friday with all proceeds going to overdose prevention efforts.
U.S. Case Of COVID-19 Omicron Variant Identified In California
A person in California has become the first in the U.S. to have an identified case of the omicron variant of COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the person was a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29.
Dr. Mandy Cohen To Step Down As NC DHHS Secretary
Governor Roy Cooper announced Tuesday morning that North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy K. Cohen will be stepping down from the agency.
WHO Warns That New Virus Variant Poses 'Very High' Risk
The World Health Organization says the global risk from the omicron variant of the coronavirus is βvery highβ based on early evidence, and it could lead to surges with βsevere consequences.β
Explainer: What We Know And Don't Know On New COVID Variant
On Friday, the WHO designated a new COVID-19 variant as a βvariant of concern,β naming it βomicronβ after a letter in the Greek alphabet.
WCCB NEWS
π
Formerly Twitter
