SITUATION UPDATE: MARCH 16

​Daily Update:
  • North Carolina native and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty received his COVID-19 vaccine this month. In a public service announcement released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Petty, 83, shares his reasons for getting vaccinated and urges others to find their spot and take their shot. Read more. 
  • NCDHHS has updated its visitation guidance for long-term care facilities to allow for in-person, indoor or outdoor, visitation in most circumstances. The change aligns with new guidance released last week from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reflects rapidly improving trends in long-term care facilities. Read more. 

COVID-19 Testing:
  • Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested. If you are sick, use the Check My Symptoms tool to help you determine if you need a COVID-19 test. People who do not have symptoms but may have been exposed to COVID-19 should also get tested, especially people from historically marginalized communities, including Latinx/Hispanic, Black/African American and American Indian Populations, who have been disproportionately affected by the virus. 
  • North Carolina has upcoming testing events scheduled in Alamance, Avery, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Cabarrus, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Chowan, Cleveland, Cumberland, Dare, Davidson, Davie, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Gaston, Gates, Graham, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Iredell, Johnston, Lenoir, Lincoln, Madison, Martin, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Pitt, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Surry, Vance, Wake, Watauga, Wayne, Wilson, Yadkin and Yancey counties. For an up-to-date list of events, visit the Community Testing Events webpage. Many events offer testing at no cost. For more details about a specific event, call ahead before you go for a test. 
  • North Carolina COVID-19 testing is also provided at some local health departments, doctor and clinician offices, hospitals and clinics, many pharmacy sites and retail outlets, and other community locations. Some people who work in long-term care facilities and other high-risk settings may be tested through their work. You can find testing sites by using the Find My Testing Place tool online. 

ICYMI:
  • NCDHHS has expanded its vaccine data dashboard to provide more demographic data on people who are partially or fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Users will be able to see vaccinations by race, ethnicity, gender and age group by county, by week and since vaccinations began. The information will be displayed on a new tab named “Demographics” on the dashboard. Read more. 
  • NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D., and Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II recently received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at the Wake County Health Department's vaccination clinic at PNC Arena. Read more. 


For a full list of the department’s videos on COVID-19, go to the NCDHHS COVID-19 YouTube Channel.  
For more information and updates on COVID-19, visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov and nc.gov/covid19. Those with COVID-19 vaccine questions can call the COVID-19 Vaccine Help Center at 1-888-675-4567, or visit YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov.
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