April 27 updates :: WRAL.com

Authored by wral.com and submitted by RandomLeavings

— Here are the latest updates on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in North Carolina and across the globe:

Where are cases, deaths in NC?

Stay on top of latest updates

10:20 p.m.: Wake County had its largest one-day jump in COVID-19 cases Monday, reporting 101 new positive cases for a total of 764. Deaths in the county has risen to 15.

9:45 p.m.: A Chapel Hill family's dog has tested positive for coronavirus.

The family was involved in a study at Duke in which the mother, father and son tested positive for COVID-19. During this study, the family had their pets tested and found out their pug, Winston, had coronavirus.

Duke said its the first positive case of the virus that causes COVID-19 in a dog in the United States.

8:00 p.m.: President Donald Trump said Monday that he takes no responsibility for a spike in people using disinfectants improperly after suggesting last week that ingesting it could serve as a coronavirus treatment.

Asked about the increase during a White House news conference, Trump said: "I can't imagine why."

When asked if he takes any responsibility for the spike, Trump answered: "No, I don't."

7:30 p.m.: Some time after the General Assembly comes back into session Tuesday, state leaders will have to align a trio of response plans on COVID-19.

There's at least a $300 million difference between the $1.4 billion spending plan Gov. Roy Cooper put forward Friday and what the House has called for, which Speaker of the House Tim Moore said Monday clocks in somewhere between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion.

The state Senate hadn't released a plan publicly as of late Monday afternoon, but Cooper said late last week that he believes the Senate's number is lower than his.

7:00 p.m.: Tyson Foods said millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chains as the coronavirus pushes food processing plants to close.

How soon could the Triangle be impacted?

"There's not a meat shortage right now, but there will be in the future," said Katie Carter-Jones, a Livestock Agent for Craven & Pamlico County.

"The food supply chain is breaking," warned Tyson Foods this past Sunday.

Shoppers in the Triangle are already complaining of having some trouble finding meat, visiting multiple stores to find what they need.

This comes after one of the country's largest meat processors closed a massive pork plant in Iowa because of a coronavirus outbreak.

"If you have less people and it takes you longer to sanitize and disinfect, you can obviously see that it's going to take you longer to process animals over time," said Margaret Ross, Eastern Area Specialized Poultry Agent.

How soon before the shortage hits the Triangle?

"That's going to depend with how many more closures we have on our plants," said Carter-Jones.

When plants reopen, there is concern they won't be at 100% capacity--mainly because of the new cleaning protocols for plants.

For now, most stores are stocked, but fear the latest news will push people to start hoarding, making the situation much worse.

Experts and customers alike advise to stay calm, only buy what you need and leave enough so other shoppers can get food themselves.

6:30 p.m.: North Carolina is set to hire 250 employees to help trace contacts of those exposed to COVID-19.

Over the next month, the state will double the number of people trained to trace contacts, according to NCDHHS Dr. Mandy Cohen.

6:00 p.m.: An employee from Pilgrim's Pride, a poultry plant in Sanford, spoke out about catching COVID-19 at work. She said they are essential workers, focused on feeding America, but aren't being protected from the virus' spread as well as she thinks they should.

5:30 p.m.: An WRAL News poll asking "When do you think schools in North Carolina should reopen?" showed a majority of locals believed school should open again in August. With 45% of locals voting for schools to open in August, the next largest amount (19%) thought schools should open even later.

Only 5% of people polled felt it should open now, and only 9% felt it should open in mid-May.

5:00 p.m.: Newest COVID-19 case updates for today show 9,246 confirmed cases in North Carolina, with 473 hospitalized and 322 dead. There are 1,188 confirmed cases statewide of people recovering from the virus, although many counties aren't reporting those numbers.

4:30 p.m.: Two deaths from COVID-19 were reported at Universal Healthcare Lillington, a nursing and rehabilitation center. These are the sixth and seventh deaths in Harnett County.

4:00 p.m.: Orange County's stay-at-home order has been extended through May 8.

3:30 p.m.: The CDC has added six new symptoms for COVID-19 to their list of potential symptoms.

The original list of symptoms according to the CDC included:

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Now, the CDC has also added the following symptoms:

New loss of taste or smell

3:00 p.m.: Sampson County Health Department has identified an active outbreak at Smithfield Packing Company in Clinton.

Five employees of the plant have tested positive for COVID-19. Smithfield and the Health Department are working closely together to assure adequate follow-up is being provided to all employees.

Sampson County also reported 9 new cases of COVID-19, bringing their total number of confirmed cases to 45.

The nine new cases are all in stable condition and isolated at home. One of the new cases is linked to other cases in a neighboring county. Sampson County has performed 275 tests, with 45 positive and 12 recovered.

2:30 p.m.: A Bojangles in Raeford, NC shared on social media that an employee at their store tested positive for COVID-19. The employee last worked on Wednesday, April 22, but is now self-isolating.

The store has closed for a deep cleaning and sanitation.

2:00 p.m.: Durham's long-term care facilities positive cases are about 31% of the county's total positive case count.

Overall on the state level, long-term facilities make up about 18%, so Durham has a higher rate than the state average.

1:30 p.m.: A woman originally from Chapel Hill shot a video showing people sitting very close together on an American Airlines flight this weekend.

Erin Strine was on Flight 388 from JFK through Charlotte when she shot the video. She tweeted: "I've never felt less safe or cared for in my entire life."

While the airlines have said they are committed to social distancing, if a plane is crowded, it’s impossible to do.

American Airlines made a statement on the situation, saying, "In response to CDC social distancing guidelines, American began temporarily relaxed seating policies for customers on our flights and reduced onboard food and beverage service levels. To encourage social distancing, gate agents will reassign seats to create more space between customers."

1:00 p.m.: The North Carolina Department of Public Safety is increasing COVID-19 testing at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women (NCCIW) in Raleigh.

A testing this weekend of 161 inmates in one housing unit showed 70 testing positive--a majority of which are showing no symptoms.

12:30 p.m.: One of three mothers who said they started the ReOpenNC protest has tested positive for COVID-19. She said she was in a two week quarantine that ended Sunday and was asymptomatic.

It's unclear if she attended the protest last week, which drew hundreds downtown, since was was under quarantine.

"As an asymptomatic COVID19 positive patient (quarantine ends 4/26) another concern I have is the treatment of COVID patients as it relates to other communicable diseases. I have been forced to quarantine in my home for 2 weeks," she wrote on her social media page.

"I have been told not to participate in public or private accommodations as requested by the government, and therefore denied my 1st amendment right of freedom of religion," she wrote.

"It has been insinuated by others that if I go out, I could be arrested for denying a quarantine order," she wrote.

11:50 a.m.: A White House coronavirus task force briefing scheduled for 5 p.m. has been canceled.

11:45 a.m.: The N.C. Restaurant Workers Relief Fund has raised $750,000, organizers announced Monday. The fund has been able to help more than 1,000 restaurant and hotel workers affected by pandemic related layoffs. Applications were cut off at 15,000 people, with thousands added to a waiting list.

11:35 a.m.: North Carolina now has 9,221 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and of North Carolina's 323 deaths, Wake County is up to 14 deaths, and Mecklenburg County is leading with 41.

11:30 a.m.: N.C. Poison Control reported a 50% increase in calls in March as more people call with questions about household cleaning products. With children at home more often, they are more likely to ingest or handle these products.

Store cleaning products up and away from children

Don’t confuse surface cleaning wipes with personal care wipes

Follow all instructions on the label, especially protective equipment like gloves.

11:15 a.m.: On Tuesday, the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association will set up five distribution points to give away protective masks to sheriff's officers across the region between 2:30 and 3 p.m. The face masks were donated by Correction Enterprises in cooperation with the Division of Prisons.

10:45 a.m.: Tom Hanks said on a recent podcast of NPR's "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, want to donate their blood to research because their blood now carries coronavirus antibodies.

10:30 a.m.: Coronavirus cases in North Carolina have topped 9,000, with cases reported in 95 of the state's 100 counties.

10:00 a.m.: At 8:20 p.m., Johnston County will light up all its high school athletic fields for 20 minutes to salute the graduating seniors who will have to miss ceremonies and parties. The public is invited to show support from home by turning on their porch lights.

9:45 a.m.: A new Chick-fil-A slated to open in Hope Mills this week is canceling its popular "First 100" giveaway. For 17 years now, people could line up the day before a new Chick-Fil-A restaurant opens, and the first 100 customers would receive vouchers for a free chicken sandwich once a week for a year. Because of coronavirus, the company says it will not be holding the giveaway at its new stores.

9:15 a.m.: In a live video interview with WRAL News, Dr. Cameron Wolfe from Duke University Medical Center said we will likely have to "coexist with COVID-19 for the rest of 2020 and beyond." Wolfe, who specializes in infectious diseases, said officials don't know enough yet about whether coronacvirus-type antibodies protect people adequately against future infections.

Public officials are citing antibodies when making the decision to reopen venue and businesses, but Wolfe said it is not clear yet how effective antibodies are. Instead, Wolfe said we need to study how much exposure the community has had and assess how to protect people going forward.

"Being infected [with coronavirus] once does not always render you safe a second time around," Wolfe said, adding it could make symptoms more mild.

9:00 a.m.: Carteret County reopened all county-run beaches on Monday, including Salter Path, Radio Island and Harkers Island beach accesses. Beachgoers are warned to practice social distancing and avoid mass gatherings to prevent spreading coronavirus.

Carolina Beach opens its beaches at noon for sport and exercise only. Sunbathing, gatherings and beach equipment -- like umbrellas, coolers and blankets -- will not be allowed. Wrightsville Beach is operating under the same rules.

8:45 a.m.: The annual Torch Run, which supports Special Olympics NC, will have to be held virtually his year. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is supporting the event, encouraging people to walk, run, or ride bikes on their own and connect on social media. The Animal Protection Society of Durham is doing something similar with their annual Walk for the Animals even on May 23.

8:30 a.m.: A British zoo says it may have to put down some of its animals because it is running out of money due to the pandemic. The owner of the zoo in England says killing the animals is the worst-case scenario if it can't find new homes for the lions, tigers and other animals that live there. Dartmouth Zoo is a registered charity, like many across the United Kingdom, and has currently 250 animals living in it.

8:15 a.m.: Sheetz started offering free coffee to all health care workers and first responders, the company said in a press release.

8:00 a.m.: North Carolina now has nearly 9,000 coronavirus cases. In the last 72 hours, that number has gone up by nearly 1,000. At least 318 people have died in the state. As of Monday, the weekly average of new cases is 334.

7:45 a.m.: Fewer people are driving, and as a result, gas prices continue to drop. The national average price of regular gas dropped 9 cents in the last two weeks to just $1.93. The average in North Carolina is $1.65. Experts say the country could see more price drops. depending on the re-opening of state economies.

7:30 a.m.: This week, the NBA plans to reopen team practice facilities for players in cities and states that have loosened stay-at-home orders.

The facilities will only be open for individual workouts — not any group workouts or organized team practices. It's still unclear if the NBA will resume play after suspending the season on March 11.

7:15 a.m.: New Hanover County will expand COVID-19 testing Monday. Symptomatic residents will be pre-screened by phone and then tested for COVID-19 at a drive-through location at no cost.

6:30 a.m.: A high school senior in Durham is using art to symbolize the loss he and other graduating students feel not getting to say goodbye to their friends or attend graduation ceremonies and parties. The pencil drawing, which shows a senior in graduation garb wearing a face mask, is gaining attention on social media.

6:15 a.m.: A new survey finds that Americans' fear of being unable to pay everyday bills has fallen since stimulus checks started going out. 57% of Americans told bankrate.com the federal government needs to do more to address their personal financial concerns. 32% said the government's done enough, and 11% believe it's done more than enough.

6:00 a.m.: Johnston County Schools will resume its curbside grab and go lunch service Monday. The meals are free to any student 18 years old or younger, regardless of whether they attend a Johnston County public school. Thirteen schools in the district serve as feeding sites.

5:30 a.m.: In Georgia, the owners of restaurants, movie theaters and social clubs are deciding whether to open today or not. All of them are allowed to, but some say the cost of safety measures is too high. Others just don't want their staff and customers to get sick. "It's a health hazard," said Jordan Toler, a Georgia resident. "Honestly right now, with everything that's going on, it's way too early."

Georgia is one of the first states to begin easing stay-at-home orders. The decision has been criticized by some Georgia mayors and even President Donald Trump. On Friday, the Georgia's governor allowed some businesses like barber shops, hair salons, tattoo parlors, gyms and bowling alleys to reopen.

Montana's statewide stay-at-home order also expires Monday. The end of the executive order allows retail businesses in the state to re-open while practicing social distancing. Places of worship will also be allowed to have services, but gyms, movie theaters and large gathering spots will still be closed.

Bars and restaurants are still limited to take-out and delivery, and statewide school closures will be lifted on May 7.

5:15 a.m.: Many small businesses in the Triangle are hoping to reopen soon but, with a shortage of cleaning supplies, are worried they won't be ready to safely serve customers. Many businesses were forced to close suddenly due to COVID-19 and were not able to stock up on cleaners and disinfectants.

Even commercial suppliers are feeling the pinch. According to retail experts, products like Lysol and Clorox won’t be fully back in stock until July or August.

Dr. Mike Walden, an economist at North Carolina State University, said the process will happen, but it will be slow.

"Businesses and consumers will both need to learn what to do, how to do it," Walden said.

Customers may even be asked to sign waivers before entering stores and restaurants to signal they know the risks of contracting coronavirus.

Some nearby states, like Georgia, have already eased up on stay-at-home orders while implementing very strict cleaning policies.

5:00 a.m: More coronavirus cases are being reported in Durham County. Two new nursing and rehab facilities there are reporting cases, including two at Hillcrest Convalescent Center and five at the Durham Recovery Response Center. There are at least 550 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the county.

4:30 a.m.: Small businesses can start applying for a second round of loans on Monday. The latest version of the Paycheck Protection Program is expected to provide $310 billion to help limit the economic meltdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The initial $349 billion ran out in 13 days, leaving many businesses without any relief.

4:15 a.m.: A Bojangles employee in Raeford has tested positive for coronavirus. Restaurant officials say the employee works at the location on Fayetteville Road. Bojangles closed the restaurant for deep cleaning once the employee was diagnosed. Bojangles says the Raeford location will reopen once all precautionary measures have been taken.

4:00 a.m.: Many people are turning to food banks for help during the pandemic. Local food banks said they are serving unprecedented numbers of people, and they predict even higher numbers for April.

The Food Bank of Eastern NC said their demand has tripled from 90 to 350 people each week. The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle served 193,000 individuals in March, and Catholic Charities Raleigh reports seeing a “significant increase in new clients.”

Want to help? The Food Bank of Eastern NC is accepting financial donations so they can purchase bulk food, while the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle accepts food donations, especially canned goods. Catholic Charities Raleigh is looking for financial donations and volunteers. More ways to help people with food insecurity.

sdgoat on April 27th, 2020 at 19:01 UTC »

If I were an essential employee, I would be denied access to my job by my employer and the government, though compensated, those with other communicable diseases are afforded the right to work. It has been insinuated by others that if I go out, I could be arrested for denying a quarantine order. However, the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination by employers, places of public accommodation, and state and local government entities. . Where do we draw the line?”

You weren't quarantined for being mentally disabled, you goddamn toolshed.

prof_stack on April 27th, 2020 at 18:23 UTC »

Testing positive is not a death-sentence. But a positive test should cause the person to do a self-lockdown.

Cdub7791 on April 27th, 2020 at 17:43 UTC »

Spoiler alert: she learned nothing.