covid 19

To meet the growing demand for COVID tests, some local health departments in Western North Carolina  are opening additional testing sites. 

A COVID testing site will open  on the campus of UNC Asheville starting this Friday 1/21 from 1 p.m.-8 p.m., as well as Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Blue Ridge Room in the Highsmith Student Union, located at 2500 University Heights, Asheville NC 28804. Weekend testing will be available for the next six weeks and is open to the public. No appointment needed.

 (12/31)  The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 18,571 positive tests for COVID-19   onThursday(12/30),  the highest one-day number of COVID-19 cases on record and 60% higher than the previous record of 11,581 set in January of this year.  Cases and hospitalizations are also on the rise in Western North Carolina and COVID-19 tests are in high demand. 

Jessica Vaughn, a 33-year-old mother of five, was found dead in her Asheville apartment. The cause: COVID-19.

Brianna Justus, a 31-year-old expectant mother, went from healthy to COVID intensive care patient at Mission Hospital in less than a week. Her baby, delivered by emergency cesarean section, survived. Brianna Justus did not.

Buncombe County commissioners voted Wednesday afternoon to reinstate a indoor mask requirement for public buildings and facilities.  The measure goes into effect immediately.

An indoor mask requirement will be returning in Buncombe County.  County board chair Brownie Newman said in a social media post Thursday that commissioners will vote on the measure at their next meeting this coming Tuesday.  Newman added he’s spoken with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and the city will align its policies with the county's. 

Mooresville is the first school district in the Charlotte area to bring students back with a mask optional policy, with students returning to classrooms Monday.

Tenant advocates are bracing for a wave of evictions to begin Monday after the federal eviction moratorium expired over the weekend.

North Carolina health officials and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday announced that they will eliminate the statewide mask mandate and ease masking requirements in schools.

The new recommendations urge K-8 schools to require masks for students and staff while they are indoors but allows fully vaccinated high school students and staff to be unmasked.

North Carolina’s COVID-19 numbers have started to inch back up, state health officials said this week. They cite the rapid spread of the delta variant, particularly in counties with low vaccination rates, as the reason for the increase.

North Carolina health officials are working on streamlined rules for COVID-19 safety in schools, as they prepare for a year when vaccination is up, cases are down and students are expected to return in person.

Predictions of a baby boom during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown have gone bust in North Carolina, according to a team of researchers.

North Carolina's moratorium on evictions is set to expire on June 30. Gov. Roy Cooper says he will decide before then whether to extend the ban.

North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday that it will now pay for residents to have at-home COVID-19 test kits mailed to them. The agency said in a statement that any adult can request a COVID-19 test kit be shipped to their home overnight and DHHS will cover the cost.

Do you have a question about the COVID vaccine?  We want to hear from you!  Record your question as a voice memo on your cell phone and email us at voices@bpr.org or use the "talk to us" feature on the free BPR mobile app.

Do you have a question about the COVID vaccine?  We want to hear from you!  Record your question as a voice memo on your cell phone and email us at voices@bpr.org or use the "talk to us" feature on the free BPR mobile app.

Giving bonuses to North Carolina's unemployment benefit recipients who get a job soon would help both business struggling to fill vacancies and residents who need a nudge to return to work, Republican lawmakers said Tuesday.

Do you have a question about the COVID vaccine?  We want to hear from you!  Record your question as a voice memo on your cell phone and email us at voices@bpr.org or use the "talk to us" feature on the free BPR mobile app.

North Carolina health providers are requesting fewer and fewer vaccines and have sent back nearly 390,000 doses to the federal government as the state ramps up efforts to reach communities that have been less likely to get a COVID-19 shot.

Do you have a question about the COVID vaccine?  We want to hear from you!  Record your question as a voice memo on your cell phone and email us at voices@bpr.org or use the "talk to us" feature on the free BPR mobile app.

Do you have a question about the COVID vaccine?  We want to hear from you!  Record your question as a voice memo on your cell phone and email us at voices@bpr.org or use the "talk to us" feature on the free BPR mobile app.

Do you have a question about the COVID vaccine?  We want to hear from you!  Record your question as a voice memo on your cell phone and email us at voices@bpr.org or use the "talk to us" feature on the free BPR mobile app.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says the state will “cautiously ease” some COVID-19 safety restrictions on Friday, including a requirement that people wear face masks outdoors. They’ll still be required in most indoor public settings.

Do you have a question about the COVID vaccine?  We want to hear from you!  Record your question as a voice memo on your cell phone and email us at voices@bpr.org or use the "talk to us" feature on the free BPR mobile app.

Do you have a question about the COVID vaccine?  We want to hear from you!  Record your question as a voice memo on your cell phone and email us at voices@bpr.org or use the "talk to us" feature on the free BPR mobile app

Looking for information about where to get vaccinated near you?  North Carolina Health News has a comprehensive listing of county vaccines sites, which will be updated often. Find it here.

Need a ride?  NCDOT and NCDHHS have distributed funding to help pay for transportation. Check with your local transit agency for more details.  You can find your agency online  NC_public_transit.pdfOpen PDF

North Carolina and South Carolina health officials said on Tuesday that the states will pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. This comes as the U.S.

Do you have a question about the COVID vaccine?  We want to hear from you!  Record your question as a voice memo on your cell phone and email us at voices@bpr.org or use the "talk to us" feature on the free BPR mobile app

Looking for information about where to get vaccinated near you?  North Carolina Health News has a comprehensive listing of county vaccines sites, which will be updated often. Find it here.

Need a ride?  NCDOT and NCDHHS have distributed funding to help pay for transportation. Check with your local transit agency for more details.  You can find your agency online  NC_public_transit.pdfOpen PDF

North Carolina health officials said Thursday they want to make rapid testing for COVID-19 a part of the safety plan for public and private schools, and they say they’ve got money to make it happen.

Local governments across North Carolina have mostly weathered the economic downturn that came with the coronavirus pandemic. Stimulus programs and a rebounding economy mean property tax collections and sales tax revenues are getting back to normal. But some other areas remain weak, like travel and tourism tax revenues.

North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday his administration is having “discussions” about creating “vaccine passports” — a standardized record for people to show they have been vaccinated for COVID-19.