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Coronavirus coverage in North Carolina, April 8, 2020: NC again records 10 deaths in a day

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

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Here are the latest updates on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in North Carolina and across the globe:

What you need to know:

Latest updates:

10:02 p.m.: A third pastor at Mid-Way Baptist Church in Raleigh has tested positive for COVID-19. Church officials said pastor Bob Johnson is home recovering. Pastor Craig Dyson is now home from the hospital and pastor Grant Staubs is still in the hospital, church officials said.
9:57 p.m.: A worker at a Food Lion distribution center in Dunn tested positive for COVID-19. ADUSA officials said "the associate will not return to work until cleared by public health officials and has indicated to us that no close contact with any other associate occurred." The worker's last day at the Dunn location was March 28. ADUSA operates the distribution center.
9:30 p.m.: For the second straight day, North Carolina has recorded 10 coronavirus-related deaths. Sixty-five people have died from the virus so far in the state, with more than 3,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19, th eillness associated with the virus.
8:55 p.m.: The final N95 respirators, surgical masks and other supplies from the strategic national stockpile are being distributed to medical workers, according to The Associated Press.
8:05 p.m.: Eleven more coronavirus cases have been reported at Springbrook Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Clayton, where two residents died of virus-related complications last weekend, officials said. They didn't disclose how many of the new cases were Springbrook residents and how many were staffers.
7:05 p.m.: New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allow workers in "essential" businesses who have been exposed to the coronavirus but who don't have any symptoms of COVID-19 to stay on the job if they take their temperature before heading to work to determine if they have a fever, wear masks at all times and refrain from congregating in break rooms or other places at the office or plant.
6:15 p.m.: Duke University is implementing a hiring freeze and a salary freeze for employees who earn more than $50,000 a year to deal with the financial fallout of the pandemic.

"Even as we confront present challenges, we must be clear that the pandemic will also produce profound and lasting effects, including severe and negative effects on our operations and finances," Duke President Vincent Price wrote in a letter to students, faculty and staff. "All of our formerly reliable sources of revenue – tuition, research grants, clinical revenue, private philanthropy and income from our investments and endowment – will almost certainly be significantly and adversely affected, even as we face increased expenses in our education, research and patient-care services."

Construction projects on Duke's campus, aside from anything needed for health or safety, are on "indefinite hold," and any other new spending, including computers, lab equipment and outside contracts, also has been stopped.

5:55 p.m.: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it's "not the time for retribution" but it is the time for transparency when asked whether the U.S. should take action against China for not releasing complete information about the coronavirus sooner.

Pompeo said the World Health Organization "hasn't accomplished what it was intended to deliver" when asked about President Donald Trump's threat to withhold U.S. funding to the WHO.

A number of State Department officials around the globe have contracted COVID-19, he said, and three local people who work at U.S. embassies abroad have died.

5:40 p.m.: Jones County has become the 92nd of North Carolina's 100 counties with a reported case of COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus. Statewide, 3,503 cases and 63 virus-related deaths have been reported.
5:15 p.m.: Four more cases of COVID-19 – one resident and three staff members – have been reported at Louisburg Nursing Center, according to Franklin County health officials.

A second resident tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday.

5 p.m.: The state Department of Health and Human Services has two mental health resources to support North Carolinians throughout the COVID-19 crisis:

The Hope4NC Helpline (1-855-587-3463) connects North Carolinians to additional mental health and resilience supports that help them cope.

The Hope4Healers Helpline (919-226-2002) provides mental health and resilience supports for health care professionals, emergency medical specialists, first responders and others in health care settings and their families who are experiencing stress from being on the front lines of the state’s COVID-19 response.

"These are challenging and uncertain times for everyone," Kody Kinsley, DHHS deputy secretary for behavioral health, said in a statement. "We want to connect people to the mental health and resilience supports that they may need during this crisis to alleviate some of the anxiety and stressors that they are feeling."

4:55 p.m.: A worker at a Kellogg's plant in Cary has tested positive for the coronavirus, a company spokesperson said.
4:35 p.m.: Wake Technical Community College is offering two online, entry-level computer courses – CompTIA IT Fundamentals+ and Computer Basics for Windows – to workers who have lost their jobs or had their hours reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The courses should help students improve their employability or even transition to a new career in information technology, officials said.

Wake Tech is offering scholarships for the classes and can accommodate up to 40 students.

4:10 p.m.: Wilson County has reported a third coronavirus-related death. The county has 42 cases of COVID-19, the illness associated with the virus, and 13 people have recovered.
4 p.m.: Stocks closed 3.4 percent higher on Wall Street as investors focus on hopeful signs that the coronavirus peak may be approaching.
3:35 p.m.: Bridgestone Americas, which has tire plants in Oxford and Wilson, plans to reopen its North American manufacturing operations on April 13, officials said.

"The start-up of our North American commercial tire and diversified products operations will allow us to meet the increasing needs of businesses who are going above and beyond to provide essential services in our communities," President and CEO Paolo Ferrari said in a statement. "We are mindful of the need for Bridgestone to do its part in providing critical products and services to businesses and agencies doing so much to keep essential workers and goods moving."

The company said renewed operations would comply with the latest safety protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

3:10 p.m.: The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse North Carolina for the use of National Guard forces in the pandemic response, state Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry said.
3 p.m.: An Orange County nursing home has become "a hotspot" for coronavirus cases, Gov. Roy Cooper said. Sixty cases have been reported at the facility, including two people who have died and seven more who have been hospitalized, he said.

"These are shockingly large numbers," Cooper said. "More are likely to come."

Cooper didn't identify the facility during a news conference, but state Rep. Graig Meyer, D-Orange, and Sen. Valerie Foushee, D-Orange, said the outbreak occurred at PruittHealth - Carolina Point.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said outbreaks have been reported at 21 congregate living facilities statewide, 18 of which are nursing homes.

Map: Virus outbreaks in NC long-term health care facilities

Cooper has signed an executive order spelling out new restrictions on nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to help limit the spread of the virus:

  • Staff members are required to wear masks.
  • Residents and staff will be screened daily for potential COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Common areas are closed, and the movement of non-essential personnel is restricted.
  • Infected residents must be moved to a separate part of each facility, where they will be cared for by staff that don't care for uninfected residents.

North Carolina has enough supplies to test all residents and staff at long-term care facilities for early detection of the virus, the governor said.

2:55 p.m.: Several civil rights groups have filed an emergency petition with the North Carolina Supreme Court, seeking an order for the immediate release of inmates from state prisons who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus based on the CDC’s heightened risk factors.

At least eight inmates and several prison staffers have tested positive for the virus to date.

"Our state prisons are overcrowded, forcing thousands of people to live and work in dangerous conditions where it is impossible for people to protect themselves from this deadly disease," Kristi Graunke, legal director for the ACLU of North Carolina, said in a statement. "North Carolina courts did not sentence thousands of people to suffer and potentially die from a pandemic. Numerous people who are incarcerated right now could be sent home to live safely with their families without posing a danger to the public."

2:50 p.m.: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and its Eshelman Institute for Innovation have launched the Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative, or READDI, a global organization aimed at discovering and developing drugs to put “on the shelf” for clinical trial testing in anticipation of future viral pandemics.

"The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for the world’s top researchers and drug discoverers to work together to invent new therapies," Aled Edwards, chief executive of the Structural Genomics Consortium, which also is part of the effort, said in a statement. “We should have done this decades ago, but READDI has the potential to make sure we are never caught off-guard again.”

READDI is modeled after DNDi, a proven model for nonprofit drug research and development. READDI projects will adopt open science methods, sharing drug discovery progress in real time so that all can benefit.

2:35 p.m.: Twenty-six residents and five staff members at Pinehurst Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said. The facility tested all 96 residents and 115 staffers on Monday and Tuesday after a positive test result linked to the nursing home over the weekend.

Not all test results have come back yet, officials said.

"Residents of the facility who have tested positive for COVID-19 are isolated from others. None of the residents that have so far been diagnosed have exhibited severe symptoms or signs of respiratory distress," officials said in a statement. "The facility will work in a coordinated effort with the Moore County Health Department to closely monitor residents and stop the further spread of COVID-19."

2:25 p.m.: Durham County commissioners plan to meet Thursday to approve a contract to relocate individuals from homeless shelters to hotel rooms as soon as possible. The contract would initially move 150 people from Urban Ministries and Families Moving Forward.

Additional rooms would be made available for discharged prisoners returning to Durham or people discharged from hospital with nowhere to go or people coming from other shelters, officials said.

There was no cost estimate for the contract, but officials said they hope to get reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the state.

12:15 p.m.: Cumberland County has reported its first virus-related death. The person, who was in his or her 40s, had traveled out of state and died in Georgia on Monday, officials said.
12:05 p.m.: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care with COVID-19, but British officials said his condition is improving.
11:55 a.m.: The state Division of Employment Security received nearly 30,000 claims for unemployment benefits on Tuesday. Since March 16, about 475,000 people who have lost their jobs, primarily because of business shutdowns related to the pandemic, have filed for assistance.
11:20 a.m.: The state Department of Information Technology has developed an interactive map to help North Carolina residents find free and low-cost internet and mobile service offerings in their area during the pandemic.
The online map, part of the state’s efforts to help students and schools bridge the digital divide, is updated daily with new offerings, which include free public Wi-Fi access points for remote learning and working.

"North Carolina is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic with everything we’ve got," Tracy Doaks, DIT secretary and state chief information officer, said in a statement. "In these uncertain times, more and more of our residents are being asked to work and learn from home, making access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet more critical than ever."

11:15 a.m.: Members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at UNC-Chapel Hill donated money to make sure children in the community have enough to eat during the pandemic. The fraternity had more than $17,000 left from its dues and donated it to "TABLE," a nonprofit that helps feed schoolchildren in Orange County.
11 a.m.: NBC News reports hundreds of health care workers on Long Island have contracted COVID-19. Long Island has the third-highest virus total outside of New York City and New Jersey.
10:45 a.m.: Halifax County said two more people have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing its total to 16.
10:30 a.m.: The Orange County Emergency Operations Center is asking the community to donate basic supplies to community members in need.

The items can be dropped off curbside Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Carrboro Town Hall or the Hillsborough Town Hall Annex between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. People should not go out to shop for supplies, the county said. Bring only unused items that are already in your home.

Requested items include non-perishable, unopened food, unopened hand sanitizer, pet supplies like clean leashes, collars, toys, unopened pet food (dry or canned), unopened, in-date flea and tick medications and baby and child care items like unopened baby formula and food, diaper packs and unopened wet wipes.

Clothing, perishable or homemade foods, and prescription or over-the-counter drugs will not be accepted.

10:10 a.m.: New York City will release an awareness campaign, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio, including grassroots outreach and digital, print, TV and radio media, that is meant to reach ZIP codes with the most coronavirus cases. Studies have shown that predominately African-American and Hispanic communities are reporting more virus cases than white communities. This is believed to be connected to lack of access to health care, which de Blasio said needs to be corrected.

The mayor thanked the armed forces that have already sent medical personnel to assist New York's overstrained hospitals, but he said more help is needed.

"We need more help and we need it quickly," he said.

10 a.m.: Effective immediately, the Durham Fire Department will stop responding to medical calls unless they are urgent, like a vehicle crash or cardiac arrest. The move aims to help protect employees and the public during the pandemic, Durham County said. Firefighters will continue to respond to all fire calls.
9:45 a.m.: An anonymous donor has given Wake County $100,000 to help its coronavirus response.

“This is an incredibly generous gesture,” said Wake County Board of Commissioners Chairman Greg Ford. “The donor, a long-time resident of Wake County, did not specifically earmark how funds should be used, but was clear that we should make the most of every penny. That is certainly a promise I am happy to make – and to keep.”

The county said the donation is the first private gift it has received during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be used to help run the county’s Emergency Operations Center.

9:35 a.m.: Stocks are opening modestly higher on Wall Street.
9:30 a.m.: Most Americans say the CDC's advice to wear a mask in public came too late, according to a SurveyUSA poll. The online poll asked 1,000 adults various questions about how President Donald Trump and national health leaders are handling the pandemic. The survey was taken Monday and Tuesday.

According to the survey, 32 percent of Americans said the CDC's advice, which was issued the first week of April, was well-timed, but nearly twice as many respondents said people should have been asked to wear masks weeks ago.

The president has not been wearing a mask in public news conferences, and the survey found 66 percent say Trump is setting a bad example by saying he will not wear a mask, while 54 percent say he is actively undermining health officials.

9 a.m.: The threat of COVID-19 increases concerns for seniors in isolation, including running out of essentials like food or prescriptions. Even in normal times, research shows that seniors ages 70 and older often live home alone and struggle with loneliness and depression.

Services like Right at Home provide regular phone calls to seniors at no charge. Volunteers will call seniors daily, asking key questions like "Do you have your medication?" and "Do you have an ample amount of food?"

Seniors can sign up by calling 919-783-5633. People can also check on senior neighbors, friends or family members regularly.

8:45 a.m.: Nash County just reported its first coronavirus-related death, a man in his late 70s. The man had underlying health problems, the county said. North Carolina's virus-related death toll now stands at 56.
8:35 a.m.: Amazon is taking social distancing guidelines seriously, saying it will fire employees who intentionally violate them while at work.

The new "two-strike rule" will terminate for workers who don't follow the guidelines. Workers have tested positive at dozens of Amazon warehouses. Now, each employee's temperature is taken when he or she arrives to work.

8:30 a.m.: Health care workers are taking off their uniforms in garages and taking showers as soon as they get home. Some are even sleeping on couches or in basements to make sure they don't infect their families.

That's why a doctor's wife in Virginia started a Facebook group called "RVs for MDs." The page matches people who have RVs and campers they aren't using with health care workers who can use them.

8:15 a.m.: Gov. Roy Cooper announced the state has received approval from FEMA to provide more than 16,500 units of hotels, motels, college dorms and other housing alternatives for people during the pandemic.

“North Carolinians without stable housing still need places to go if they are have a mild case of COVID-19 or need to quarantine after being exposed to the virus," he said. "These types of alternatives will help people who have no other safe options to self-isolate or social distance while we slow the spread of this virus."

FEMA will pay 75 percent of the cost, and North Carolina will pay the rest.

7:45 a.m.: The Town of Southport has announced it will cancel its Fourth of July celebration, the latest in many events that have been canceled or postponed because of virus concerns.
7:30 a.m.: An Asheville man accused of violating the state’s coronavirus restrictions by leasing non-essential rentals has turned himself in after taunting police on Facebook. Shawn Thomas Johnson, 34, surrendered Tuesday after Asheville police issued an arrest warrant for him. A Facebook account apparently belonging to Johnson commented on the arrest warrant to ask if he can “get a reward” for telling police about his own whereabouts.
7:15 a.m.: Virginia Trask of Wrightsville Beach got to celebrate her 98th birthday on Tuesday with a parade of cars in her driveway, WECT reports. Her daughter, Ginny Hollingsworth, planned the surprise, and it didn’t take long to get family and friends to jump on board to the idea.

Trask has lived through 17 presidents, the Great Depression and World War II.

7:10 a.m.: The University of North Carolina Wilmington announced all summer courses will take place online.
6:45 a.m.: In Spain, the number of discharged patients from hospitals has surpassed 40,000. Patients were seen leaving intensive care units as health workers cheered.

Spain's pace of new coronavirus deaths slowed for the fourth day. Police in Spain's Canary Islands are using drones and helicopters to enforce lockdown measures. Authorities say at least seven people were caught outside during the strict nationwide lockdown still in place.

6:15 a.m.: New York City has reached a grim milestone. Tuesday was the deadliest day there since the COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 800 deaths reported over a 24-hour period, or about one death every two minutes.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pointing out a small sign of improvement. For the last few days, hospitals been discharging more patients than hospitals are admitting. The governor says the hospitalization average is down over the last three days, which has New Yorkers hopeful they’re turning the curve.

5:45 a.m.: NBC Charlotte reports Mecklenburg County EMS is actively quarantining 19 paramedics because of exposure to coronavirus. As many as 25 have been under quarantine at one time, and that number is fluctuating daily as paramedics go in and out of isolation. One paramedic remains positive for COVID-19, while 12 others have been tested and came back negative.
5:30 a.m.: A 76-day lockdown has ended in Wuhan, China, where coronavirus originated.

A light show illuminated the night sky to mark the end of the lockdown in the city where the pandemic began. Buildings and bridges were lit up as residents watched and cheered. After eleven weeks, authorities are allowing people to once again travel in and out of the city.

5 a.m.: A field hospital operated by Boone-based Samaritan's Purse in Central Park in New York City served more than 60 patients in its first week. The hospital is staffed by 70 doctors, nurses and other personnel and has 14 tents and a 68-bed respiratory unit, including 10 intensive care beds with ventilators.
4:45 a.m.: Singer-songwriter John Prine has died from the coronavirus. Prine was hospitalized on March 26 after developing symptoms and was put on a ventilator Saturday night. He died on Tuesday at a hospital in Nashville.

The 73-year old was known for songs like "Angel from Montgomery," "Hello in There" and "In Spite of Ourselves."

4:30 a.m.: The coronavirus pandemic has been affecting animal shelters in the Triangle. Since the adoption center closed, the SPCA of Wake County has been live-streaming their adoptable pets on social media. The organization said the stay-at-home order has been a hard blow to the SPCA, as they were scheduled to have two large fundraisers this spring.

One usually brings in $250,000 of funds used to help local pets and people in need.

The Animal Protection Society of Durham is feeling some of the same effects and has turned to virtual events to raise money and online adoption.

Although people are still getting their forever pets after watching the livestreams, the APS fears what will happen to the animals already in a home.

4 a.m.: There are now at least 3,280 confirmed cases of coronavirus in North Carolina that span 91 counties. Fifty-five people have died after Tuesday marked the deadliest day in North Carolina so far. At least 354 people are hospitalized.
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