NC sees first reported case of Omicron variant, a UNC Charlotte student
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Here's the latest news and information on COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines.
10:50 p.m.
Infectious disease experts weighed in with ABC11 now that the first case of the Omicron variant has been reported in North Carolina.
Earlier today, UNC Charlotte said a student has tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The student, who was fully vaccinated, traveled out of state during the Thanksgiving break. They have since recovered from their symptoms.
Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an Infectious Diseases Specialist at Duke University Hospital, said there is still a lot we don't know about the Omicron variant
WATCH: Dr. Wolfe discusses Omicron with ABC11's Josh Chapin
He said it does appear to be more infectious and maybe will make you sicker faster -- but perhaps not "as sick."
Omicron might be correlated to more breakthrough infections, but that's unclear right now, Wolfe said.
"Whether it truly outcompetes our current Delta issue is unknown," Wolfe said. "It certainly appears to be doing that in South Africa, but we have a Delta issue in the United States. It's not yet an Omicron issue. Again there's no reason being fully vaccinated and boosted won't help you get away with a really mild illness if you get sick at all."
He urged people to get booster shots if they are eligible.
"What this should be is a good alert to people to say we are coming into winter, we know cases are on the rise of Delta, so use this as a pre-Christmas travel plan to get boosted, and if you feel sick get a test because we know these are coming," Wolfe said.
Dr. Katie Passaretti is an infectious disease expert at Atrium Health in Charlotte, which had a news conference minutes after the university's announcement.
"Again early reports out of South Africa suggest the severity of the illness might be a bit less, which is a very good thing, but we are still very early in what we are learning, and we need to continue to monitor that over time," Passaretti said.
Wolfe said any large surge in cases will hit the healthcare system in ways "that make it more complicated."
"It is with some anxiety that you see the rates of hospitalizations in North Carolina have plateaued and as winter and Thanksgiving and we're coming into Christmas, they've drifted back up again," Wolfe said.
He had a message for those who have not been vaccinated.
"If you're unvaccinated at this point, you have to start thinking about when you get COVID, and what is that going to mean for you," Wolfe said. "What does that mean to take 10 days out of work as you recover or not be allowed to go back to any small business."
He said he hopes Omicron proves to be "mild" as early data suggests, but "I don't think we know that yet."
-- Reporting by ABC11's Josh Chapin
5:16 p.m.
More than 50 million Americans have now received a booster shot, according to newly updated CDC data, ABC News reported..
On average, federal data shows about 2.03 million total shots are being administered each day. More than half of those shots -- 1.1 million -- are booster doses.
The data also shows that more than half of fully vaccinated people 65 years and older have received a booster.
3:13 p.m.
The Durham County Department of Public Health will begin offering booster doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for people ages 16 and 17.
To receive a booster vaccination at DCoDPH, all eligible individuals may call (919) 560-9217 to schedule an appointment, or visit the clinic at 414 E. Main St., Durham during our walk-in hours Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In addition to booster vaccinations for all people 16 or older, DCoDPH also continues to provide first second dose vaccinations for all people ages 5 and older, and third dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccinations for people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.
2:45 p.m.
Eligibility for Pfizer's COVID-19 booster shot has been expanded to include 16- and 17-year-olds, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends a booster for 16- and 17-year-olds following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization for 16- and 17-year-olds to receive a Pfizer booster six months after the date of their second Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Recent studies indicate that while protection against severe disease and death remains strong for individuals who are fully vaccinated, people may be more likely to develop milder or asymptomatic COVID-19 over time, including 16- and 17-year-olds. A single booster dose will help provide continued protection against COVID-19. Data on Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine show they are safe and effective, NCDHHS said.
2 p.m.
It was only a matter of time, and now North Carolina has reported its first case of the Omicron variant.
UNC Charlotte said a student has tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The student traveled out of state during the Thanksgiving break and has subsequently recovered from their symptoms.
All close contacts were notified through the University's contact tracing protocols, and no additional positive cases have been identified.
The university said students, faculty and staff must adhere to campus face-covering requirements, and, if unvaccinated, must continue to participate in the ongoing weekly mitigation testing.
The university also said it is offering optional exit testing for students and employees who wish to be tested prior to traveling for the winter break.
1:46 p.m.
No, COVID-19 vaccines don't cause immunodeficiency syndrome.
A claim making the rounds on social media say COVID-19 vaccines are causing a new illness called "VAIDS," short for vaccine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
VAIDS is not a real condition, nor do COVID-19 vaccines cause a syndrome matching this description, an immunotherapy expert confirmed to The Associated Press.
Widely circulating Twitter and Reddit posts falsely identified VAIDS as an emerging condition that is "similar to AIDS but caused by the shots.
"Some social media users kept their posts vague, asking, "What is VAIDS?" Meanwhile, Google searches for the term skyrocketed. A blogger identified only as "Jack" also claimed to have coined the term, writing on Nov. 23 that "sometimes, a situation calls for the creation of a brand new term," and defining it as the "gradual destruction of the human immune system by vaccines."
In reality, there's no such thing as VAIDS, and research shows the available COVID-19 vaccines provide recipients with increased protection against the coronavirus.
"AIDS is a generalized body-wide compromise of a specific subset of immune cells (mostly CD4+ lymphocytes) caused specifically by infection with the HIV-1 virus," said Dr. Grant McFadden, director of the Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy at Arizona State University. "There is no vaccine-induced counterpart of AIDS."
Given that billions of people around the world have already been vaccinated against COVID-19, McFadden said, "if such a thing as VAIDS existed, we would have detected it by now."
A search across legitimate biomedical literature found no mention of vaccine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others shows the COVID-19 vaccines boost the immune response. The mRNA vaccines work by training the immune system to recognize the spike protein on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19, allowing it to generate an immune response, experts say.
12:45 p.m.
North Carolina is reporting 3,606 new coronavirus cases for a total of 1,566,269 since the start of the pandemic.
The total is down from a week ago but well up from two weeks ago when 1,988 cases were added
Despite today's lower number, the average weekly average is increasing (3,180 new cases a day this week vs. 2,265 last week).
The percent positive stands at 7.4%. It remains high but stable as the previous day saw 7.1%.
Hospitalizations are at 1,493, with 20 new ones added. Since Thanksgiving, 455 more patients have been hospitalized.
Twenty-one new deaths were recorded, bringing the state total to 18,976.
As for vaccinations, 62% of the full NC population is at least vaccinated; 73% of the adult population
NCDHHS said 58% of the state's population is fully vaccinated; 69% of the adult population is fully vaccinated
11:43 a.m.
Wake County Public Health will be expanding its COVID-19 vaccine offerings on Monday to administer single-shot boosters of Pfizer-BioNTech to 16- and -17-year-olds.
"This is another step forward in extending protections against COVID-19 for everyone in Wake County," said Wake County Associate Medical Director & Epidemiology Program Director Dr. Nicole Mushonga. "Now is the perfect time before the holidays to better protect your teenagers before they travel or attend family gatherings."
Wake County has been administering Pfizer booster doses since September and Moderna boosters since November to anyone 18 years of age and older. Now, the CDC is expanding those eligible for Pfizer booster doses by recommending booster shots for all vaccinated people ages 16 years and older.
Residents 18 years and older will be able to receive any authorized brand of the COVID-19 vaccine for their booster shot. Some people may prefer the vaccine type they originally received, and others may prefer to get a different brand of the booster.
Those seeking a booster shot can go to any provider that has COVID-19 vaccine as long as it has been six months after their initial series of Pfizer or Moderna, and two months after their first dose of Johnson & Johnson. Recipients do NOT need to go back to the place where they received the first two doses. All five of Wake County Public Health's vaccine clinics will be offering all brands, with appointments six days a week, including evening and Saturday hours. Walk-ins are no longer permitted. You can also call the N.C. COVID-19 Help Line at (888) 675-4567.
There is no cost, no ID, no insurance and no proof of medical condition or employment required. You must bring your vaccine card. Staff will check the N.C. COVID-19 Vaccine Management System to confirm your vaccination record. You will be asked to self-attest that you are from the eligible populations for Pfizer and Moderna boosters.
THURSDAY
4:26 p.m.
Since the onset of the pandemic, more than 7 million children and adolescents have tested positive for coronavirus.
As the U.S. experiences a winter COVID-19 resurgence, experts say a confluence of factors is likely driving the country's infection rate up, including high case rates among the pediatric population.
Since the start of the U.S.' summer delta surge, about 3.2 million children have tested positive for the virus. With so many children and adolescents unvaccinated, the Delta variant has been the catalyst for viral spread among children. Federal data shows that about 1 in every 5 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, during that time frame, has been in a child.
In recent weeks, children have accounted for about a quarter of the country's reported weekly COVID-19 cases. Most recently, 133,000 new pediatric cases were reported last week - down from the pandemic high of 252,000 weekly pediatric cases, reported in early September. Of note, other age groups still have a higher number of new cases, per capita.
However, data shows that many other factors are also to blame for the country's recent COVID-19 surge. Most notably, millions of unvaccinated Americans continue to fall ill and be hospitalized with the virus. At this time, about 95 million Americans remain unvaccinated.
In addition, relaxed restrictions, increased transmission as a result of the highly transmissible delta variant -- which still accounts for 99.9% of new cases -- and waning vaccine immunity, are all playing a major factor in the nation's latest COVID-19 surge.
-- Reporting by ABC News
1:05 p.m.
COVID-19 cases reached a level they have not been at since early October.
The newest metrics released Thursday showed 4,153 new COVID-19 cases in North Carolina. That's a 78% increase from two weeks ago and the first time adding more than 4,000 new cases in a single day in two months.
The percentage of positive cases ticked down slightly to 7.1%--down from 8% yesterday and 7.4% a week ago.
COVID-19 hospitalizations took a significant jump up. Just one day after seeing a slight decline in the number of patients being treated for COVID-19, hospitals across the state added 102 people.
Hospitals are currently treating 1,473 people for COVID-19 and 375 o those are in Intensive Care Units.
THURDAY MORNING HEADLINES
The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the first monoclonal antibody therapy for use before COVID-19 exposure.
AstraZeneca's Evusheld antibody cocktail can now be given to certain people for preventative use against the virus, including those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised due to a medical condition or medication, and those who have a history of severe adverse reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine. People also must not be currently infected with COVID-19 or have been recently exposed to the virus.
In a recent Phase III clinical trial, AstraZeneca found that the therapy reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 infections by 83% in people who did not have the virus, had not been exposed to it, and were unvaccinated when compared to the placebo group.
AstraZeneca told ABC News it is testing the product against the new omicron variant and is "hopeful" that it will hold up against it. Results are expected to become available "within weeks," the company said. So far, Evusheld has been found to neutralize all previous COVID-19 variants of concern, it said.
AstraZeneca said it has agreed to supply the U.S. government with 700,000 doses of Evusheld, which will be distributed to states and territories at no cost and on a pro-rata basis.
