Coronavirus regional updates: Atrium Health to open more screening sites this week

CHARLOTTE, N.C.– More than 2.4 million people worldwide– consisting of more than 760,000 people in the United States– have actually been contaminated with the new coronavirus, and the number of deaths from the outbreak continues to rise. Authorities are attempting to consist of the COVID-19 break out in the U.S. as medical facilities handle extraordinary client surges.

>> Scroll below for live, regional real-time minute-by-minute updates

Possible news conferences set up for today

Mecklenburg County: (3 p.m.)

North Carolina Job Force: (2 p.m.)

South Carolina Job Force (4 p.m.)

White Home Job Force: (5 p.m.)

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>> Here are the most recent updates about COVID-19, the illness triggered by the unique coronavirus, in North Carolina and South Carolina. Scroll below for real-time updates.

Live, local updates from Monday:

Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris says there have actually been 1,213 locals who have actually checked positive for COVID-19 which 31 people have actually died.

19,400 tests have actually been completed from March 11 through April 19.

289 tests were completed over the weekend at Atrium and Novant’s brand-new sites.

Another infant under the age of 1 has been contaminated. The overall of babies infected is 3, and they have actually all been succeeding.

8 long-lasting care facilities have break outs, Harris states.

Relating to reopening Mecklenburg County, Harris says there are still constraints in screening, access to PPE and other products.

Without resolving the screening and PPE obstacles, Harris states it is tough to say the county will be opened back up on April 29.

“Anytime you open up something in one location and not in others, there will be some impact,” Harris says. If South Carolina constraints are loosened up prior to Mecklenburg County’s, Harris anticipates some effect.

Guv Roy Cooper on Monday joined a call with the Vice President and guvs from around the country. On that call, Gov. Cooper provided an upgrade on what North Carolina is doing through its Testing Surge Workgroup to increase testing in North Carolina. In specific, the Governor highlighted efforts to diversify the supply chain for testing so that laboratories aren’t all counting on the same products from the very same suppliers.

Governor Cooper stated he explained that North Carolina still needs more products and individual protective devices from the federal government.

“I appreciate the open lines of communication that North Carolina has with the White Home,” Cooper stated. “Today, North Carolina has 14 laboratories able to test for COVID-19, but to continue increasing our screening numbers we require help from the federal government getting more screening supplies and individual protective equipment. More screening is essential to be able to start lifting restrictions in a safe way.”

Crude oil rates plunge to below $1 a barrel

U.S. crude costs dropped more than 100%and turned unfavorable for the very first time in history on Monday as traders continue to fret over a slump in need due to the coronavirus pandemic. The cost of the closest oil futures contract, which expires Tuesday, was the hardest hit, detaching from later month futures agreements with a drop of more than 100%.

Rates for West Texas Intermediate, the American benchmark of petroleum, plunged to under $1 a barrel, the most affordable rates on record.

WTI Crude oil futures saw their biggest single-day drop of more than 90%.

Some are associating the drop to the sharp decrease in need for oil in the middle of the pandemic with organisations closed and travel cut. In addition, there is excess supply and absence of locations to save the oil.

NCDHHS press secretary Mandy Cohen reports that COVID-19 deaths in the state of North Carolina have exceeded flu deaths for this year. Cohen stated the state had 167 flu deaths this previous season.

Since Monday afternoon, North Carolina reports 179 individuals have actually died from COVID-19

“Keep In Mind for COVID-19 we had our first laboratory-confirmed case on March 3,” Cohen stated. “Our very first death reported was on March 24 and that was less than a month earlier. So in less than a month, we have actually already gone beyond flu deaths for this year.”

Cohen said in a press conference on Monday that COVID-19 is now the leading cause of death in the United States.

“It is necessary to bear in mind that our death rate would have been even worse (if not for social distancing measures),” Cohen stated.

NCDHHS to Supply Additional Food Advantages for More than 800,000

Guv Roy Cooper revealed today that North Carolina has been authorized for the brand-new Pandemic Electronic Advantage Transfer (P-EBT) program, to help households buy food for kids impacted by school closings due to COVID-19 NCDHHS is working to operationalize the program and households will start to receive this advantage in coming weeks.

“A lot of families remain in requirement, particularly with numerous out of work today. This approval helps individuals get help faster to feed their families,” said Guv Cooper.

The program provides an advantage on an EBT card to North Carolina households whose kids are qualified for free and lowered lunch at school. Households will get $250 in P-EBT benefits per kid, provided in 2 installations, with the possibility of an additional benefit if North Carolina schools are closed beyond May15 Households will be able to use the P-EBT advantage to acquire food items at EBT licensed sellers, including most major supermarket.

Families will not require to apply for the P-EBT program. P-EBT qualified households currently receiving Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits will get an additional benefit on their existing EBT card. P-EBT eligible households not already registered in FNS will be mailed a new EBT card in the next few weeks. Families who receive a brand-new EBT card will get a letter from DHHS in the mail discussing how to activate and use their card.

“As our schools closed, many households across the state stressed over where their next meals would originate from– and we knew we had to act,” stated NC Department of Health and Person Solutions Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “The P-EBT program will provide extra assistance buying groceries for the families of the more than 800,000 children who typically get totally free and lowered lunch at school.”

North Carolina is one of the very first 4 states to get federal approval from the United States Department of Farming (USDA) to supply P-EBT advantages, which are totally federally moneyed. The new P-EBT program remains in addition to other services families may be taking part in. As revealed formerly on March 30, 2020, all households that get Food and Nutrition Provider (FNS) will receive the optimum quantity allowed for March and April 2020 for their home size. Families are encouraged to continue utilizing feeding programs at regional school and neighborhood meal sites for free, nutritious meals for kids.

Due to the outbreak at one jail center, the NC Division of Prisons temporarily suspended operations at another state prison center and tactically moved offenders in assessment with state health experts. To support operations at the coronavirus-impacted Neuse Correctional Organization in Goldsboro, Prisons moved wrongdoers out of Johnston Correctional Institution and reassigned personnel to Neuse CI.

“The personnel at Neuse have actually been working in the most difficult conditions, for weeks on end, and frantically required support,” stated Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “They are owed everyone’s thanks for their commitment to serving the public, standing tall in their day-to-day responsibilities and helping make sure safety of their colleagues and those in custody.”

Commissioner Ishee added his extension of a deep appreciation to those Johnston CI staff for stepping up to aid their coworkers. He said numerous across the system have actually shown their perseverance and ability at helping manage a continuously altering scenario during the extraordinary and ongoing event.

A mass testing operation of the around 250 employees and 700 transgressors at Neuse Correctional Organization has revealed an overall of 13 personnel and more than 330 offenders are contaminated with virus and 98 percent of those are asymptomatic. Another 197 test results are pending.

The first 2 offenders at Neuse evaluated favorable for COVID-19 on April 2. As more tests returned as positive, Prisons took a proactive approach and dealt with the Department of Health and Person Providers, the State Lab for Public Health, LabCorp and the Wayne County Health Department in the major effort.

To bring personnel some assistance and to keep security at proper levels there, over the weekend Prisons’ Incident Command team members took the following actions:

These movements, completed primarily on Saturday, maximized the personnel at the now-closed Johnston facility for the bulk to be reassigned to Neuse Correctional, situated about 23 miles away.

All transported culprits were medically screened– consisting of temperature checks– prior to they were transferred and when they arrived at their destinations. On their arrival, they were all put under 14- day medical quarantine and did not mix with the existing transgressor population already housed there.

“No wrongdoers from Neuse or any of those exhibiting any symptoms were moved,” Commissioner Ishee stated. “These extremely strategic moves were performed in consultation with medical professionals and completed by following CDC standards.”

The transport lorries were sanitized prior to and after each trip. The wrongdoers and staff were all equipped with face masks. The transfers were finished without incident.

The Johnston CI staff must start getting here to help their coworkers at Neuse CI over the next couple of days. The personnel reassigned to Neuse CI, like their coworkers operating at the center, will get extra pay while on this task.

A truckload of PPE was provided to the Neuse facility on Saturday as 5 portable, massive disinfectant-dispersal systems called Power Breezers were used to clean up the facility from leading to bottom.

In addition, Prisons has taken more than 3 dozen actions to decrease the spread of COVID-19 in the jails, and to include it within a center if it does. Some of those actions include:

Mecklenburg County has launched details on the modeling they are using. Of note– on April 13, there were approximately 90 patients hospitalized in intense care facilities in Mecklenburg County– about 1 in 4 were aerated.

Worker at Charlotte CVS tests favorable (statement):

On Friday, April 17, we were informed that a staff member at our shop on Kendall Drive in Charlotte tested favorable for COVID-19 The staff member has not been at work considering that Tuesday, April 9. The staff member and any colleagues exposed to the employee have actually been positioned under a 14- day quarantine constant with CDC standards and are on paid leave.

CVS Pharmacy follows CDC cleansing assistance, which includes hourly cleaning of tough surface areas and more frequent cleaning of commonly handled items. Our pharmacies are a vital resource for the neighborhoods we serve and we’ll continue to be here for customers and patients in these trying times.

NCDMV Call Center in Bladen County is Closed, Pending Result of Staff Member Virus Test

An employee at the N.C. Division of Motor Cars Call Center in Bladen County is being checked for the coronavirus, so for the security of its workers, the center has actually been temporarily closed, pending the test results.

Callers will not have the ability to get through on the 919-715-7000 customer service line. They are instead encouraged to send out any requests for help to the NCDOT/DMV Contact United States system at www.ncdot.gov/contact. Go to the section entitled Ask NCDMV a Concern, and choose the appropriate link.

The call center service will resume operation as quickly as it is determined it is safe for the workers to go back to work.

Normal staffing at the call center has to do with 140 client service operators. But to be within the social distancing parameter recommendations from state and federal health officials, the facility staffing was adapted to around 65 workers.

Atrium Health CEO Gene Woods is making a $1 million contribution to the Atrium Health Caregiver Heroes Fund. Other Atrium executives are stepping up as well to match with $1 million worth of donations for a total of $2 million.

The Atrium Health Caretaker Heroes Fund was developed to supply Atrium employees with financial help when they have suffered hardship caused by devastating events beyond their control, including emergency assistance during COVID-19

North Carolina has launched Monday’s most current COVID-19 details:

The NCDHHS is reporting 6,764 favorable cases of COVID-19 in the state, a boost of 271 from Sunday.

There have been 179 deaths in the state, up 7 from Sunday.

A total of 79,484 tests have been finished and there are currently 373 individuals hospitalized. That is 92 fewer individuals in the medical facility from the day before.

Mecklenburg County continues to have the most favorable cases and deaths, with 1,210 and 29 respectively.

Positive cases age breakdown:

Of those who have actually checked positive, 54%are white and 39%are black.

51%of those who evaluated positive are women, and 48%are men. Male comprise 64%of the deaths.

There are presently 37 break outs at retirement home throughout the state (Burke, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Iredell, Mecklenburg (5 ), Rowan (2 ), Union).

There are presently 13 outbreaks at domestic care facilities (Cabarrus, Mecklenburg (4 ), Stanly, Union).

Throughout the state, 905 favorable cases have been reported at nursing homes, with 53 deaths.

There have been 182 cases reported at property care centers, leading to 13 deaths.

There have actually been 505 cases reported at reformatories, with five deaths.

Closed Buildings Required to Flush Pipes

If you have a business, church or school building that is closed or partially closed you need to flush your pipes (flush toilets/run faucets) at least biweekly.

Unless totally turned off there is always some water left in pipelines. If a structure is not in usage water in the pipelines becomes stagnant. The City of Kannapolis Water Department advises that you flush pipelines biweekly by switching on faucets for a number of minutes and flushing toilets. This will decrease the danger of waterborne germs in your pipelines. This will likewise keep water from being discolored or having a smell or taste due to the chemicals utilized in the water treating procedure.

Burke County reports two extra deaths

Burke County Public Health is reporting 2 additional COVID-19 associated deaths in Burke County bringing the overall to eight deaths. These people, one in their late 40 s and the other in their early 80 s, died from issues connected with their underlying medical conditions, authorities said.

To protect the family’s personal privacy, no further information about the patient will be launched.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of these people,” stated Burke County Health Director Rebecca McLeod. “As our efforts continue to fight this infection, we hope that all individuals will continue to take the social distancing, the remain at house order and all other preventive procedures seriously. Infection cases will continue to rise if these procedures continue to be neglected or not practiced. We want to decrease the number of deaths by protecting at-risk persons with underlying health conditions.”

Atrium Health is planning on opening these screening/testing sites today. No appointment is required.

In addition to first responders, city workers with these occupations or in these departments might qualify for premium pay (5%):

Six individuals suing Dare County over their non-resident entry ban are seeking an injunction.

South Carolina Guv Henry McMaster is anticipated to make a big statement Monday– he is expected to share that some non-essential organisations could open as soon as Tuesday.

This would include outlet store, music and book stores and flea markets.

The re-openings do come standards. When they reopen, the shops are expected to at first limit tenancy to 20 percent and while beach gain access to are anticipated to resume, social distancing will still be enforced.

City governments can also still make their own guidelines about waterway access.

Health officials report two extra COVID-19 cases in Rowan County, bring the total to 250.

Officials verified 5 more people have actually passed away due to the coronavirus in Mecklenburg County.