Latest Updates

All North Carolinians should get the latest information on COVID-19 directly from reliable sources. The COVID-19 outbreak has been accompanied by a flood of misinformation from unreliable sources. Be thoughtful about what you read or hear about the virus and make sure you are separating rumor from fact before you act. COVID-19 information from across state government, including information about unemployment, can be found at www.nc.gov/covid19. Sign up for weekly email updates about North Carolina's COVID-19 response.

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Latest Updates

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Aug. 3

• As part of its effort to help more North Carolinians protect themselves against COVID-19 and the highly contagious Delta variant, North Carolina is now offering $100 Summer Cards at some vaccine sites across the state to offset the time and transportation costs of getting vaccinated. From Aug. 4 through Aug. 31, the $100 Summer Cards are available to anyone 18 and older who gets their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at a participating site—while supplies last.

July 30

• North Carolina received more than $4.9 million federal funds for small rural hospitals in the state to provide COVID-19 testing and mitigation. The program will provide increased COVID-19 testing to rural populations ensuring an equitable distribution across the state. Nineteen hospitals will receive up to $258,376 to increase COVID-19 testing efforts, expand access to testing in rural communities and expand the range of COVID-19 mitigation activities to meet community needs. All 19 hospitals have fewer than 50 beds or are critical access hospitals.

• NCDHHS is expanding the COVID-19 Community Health Worker program, bringing it statewide. El Centro Latino and UNETE join six other vendors that were previously selected for this work to aid in North Carolina’s efforts to connect those affected by COVID-19 with needed support, including assistance with COVID-19 vaccinations. In addition to the selection of two new vendors, Kepro, Southeastern Healthcare NC and Vidant Health are expanding the counties they serve.

July 29

• Governor Roy Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen announce that state government will begin verifying vaccination status of its workers. Employees not vaccinated are required to wear a mask and be tested at least once a week. The announcement comes as North Carolina’s latest upswing in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is driven by unvaccinated North Carolinians.

July 23

• NCDHHS urges all unvaccinated North Carolinians age 12 and older to get a COVID-19 vaccine as North Carolina experiences a rapid increase in COVID-19 spread among those who are unvaccinated. There have been 9,053 cases reported over the past seven days compared to 5,441 cases in the preceding seven days — a 66% increase — and hospitalizations doubled since July 9 and are at the highest rate they have been since the May 11.

   

  The state’s other key metrics are also increasing, including the number of people going to the emergency department with COVID-like symptoms and the percent of tests that are positive — which has been over 6% for the past week. In addition, this week’s updated County Alert System has one red county with critical viral and spread and 12 orange counties with substantial spread, up from one two weeks ago. Richmond County is red, and Cherokee, Chowan, Cleveland, Cumberland, Graham, Hoke, Lee, Onslow, Pitt, Rutherford and Sampson Counties are orange.