COVID-19 Situation Update: December 21 | Eastern North Carolina Now

News Releases:

    As of 12:00 p.m. today:

    Newly Reported Cases: 2,894

    Daily Percent Positive: 10.3%

    NC Currently Hospitalized: 1,682

    NC Total Deaths: 19,183

    Percent of Adult Population at Least Partially Vaccinated: 73%

    Percent of Adult Population Fully Vaccinated: 69%

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

    Daily Update:

• North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. issued a Secretarial Advisory, urging several actions to prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Read more.
• Governor Roy Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Cohen provided an update on the state’s COVID-19 key metrics and trends Monday. Read more.
• Health experts are warning that the highly contagious COVID-19 variant, Omicron, is expected to cause the greatest surge in COVID-19 infections to date in the coming months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NCDHHS urge people to get vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) as soon as possible and to get a booster as soon as they are eligible to help prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death. Read more.
• 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.
• 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:

    Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 or has been exposed to the virus should get tested as soon as possible. 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:

• A temporary mobile vaccination unit that operated across Western North Carolina since July has ended its operations this week after providing more than 9,300 vaccinations.
• NCDHHS announced it has received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue the Student Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) food assistance program for eligible K-12 students through the 2021-22 school year under new rules.
• Eligibility for Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shot has been expanded to include 16- and 17-year-olds, making safe and effective boosters now available for everyone ages 16 and older.

   

    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