SITUATION UPDATE: OCTOBER 27

Daily Update:
  • Today, Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. provided an update on the state’s COVID-19 key metrics and trends. Read more.
  • COVID-19 vaccine booster shots are now available for more North Carolinians. The Food and Drug Administration has authorized, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster shots to help strengthen and extend protections against COVID-19 infections. Read more.
  • The  $25 Summer Card pilot program operated by NCDHHS was successful in encouraging COVID-19 vaccination, according to a published research letter by authors from North Carolina Central University (NCCU), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill). Read more.
  • We want to hear from you: Please take the NCDHHS Dashboard Survey.

COVID-19 Vaccinations:
  • A free COVID-19 vaccine is available to all who want it. Vaccination is currently open to everyone 12 and older. Visit MySpot.nc.gov to find a location.
  • To strengthen and extend protections against COVID-19, many North Carolinians who have been fully vaccinated can now receive a COVID-19 booster shot if they are eligible.  You may be eligible for a booster if: 
    • You are 18 or older;
    • Your second/final dose was more than SIX months ago for Pfizer and Moderna;
    • You received your Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than TWO months ago;
  • Take our booster quiz to find if you’re eligible.
  • For more information on the COVID-19 vaccines, visit YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov or call the COVID-19 Vaccine Help Center for free at 1-888-675-4567.

COVID-19 Testing & Treatment:
  • Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 or has been exposed to the virus should get tested as soon as possible. To find a testing site near you, visit ncdhhs.gov/GetTested. For an up-to-date list of no-cost community testing events, visit the No-Cost Testing Events webpage. Additionally, all North Carolinians can request a free at-home COVID-19 testing kit.
  • While vaccines provide the best protection from COVID-19, treatment options such as monoclonal antibodies are available if you have had symptoms of COVID-19 for 10 days or less or have been exposed to COVID-19. If taken early, they can reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death. Ask your doctor about monoclonal antibodies, call the Combat COVID Monoclonal Antibodies Call Center at 1-877-332-6585 (English) or 1-877-366-0310 (Spanish), or find treatment near you.

ICYMI:
  • The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services joined approximately 40 cross-sector health care organizations committing to using and sharing high-level data about race, ethnicity, language and gender to inform best practices to promote health equity. Read more.
  • NCDHHS released a funding opportunity that will award a total of $5.8 million to at least nine organizations statewide to increase access to high-quality opioid use disorder treatment for people in the criminal justice system. Read more.
  • As COVID-19 cases surged this summer fueled by the Delta variant, hospitalizations and deaths among residents in North Carolina long-term care facilities were significantly lower than during the winter surge, as shown in data from NCDHHS. Read more.
  • NCDHHS Secretary Cohen has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for her work in creating a strategic alignment to bring about critical improvements in health. Read more.


For a full list of the department’s videos on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines, visit the NCDHHS YouTube Channel. Videos can also be downloaded for use on the NCDHHS Vimeo 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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