COVID – Moore County Edition

Feb

17

2022

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By Moore County Staff

Moore County Schools drops mask mandate

NewsCOVID, masks

CARTHAGE — A week after North Carolina’s Speaker of the House called for an end to K-12 masking and quarantine policies, Moore County Schools took a first step. In a 6-1 vote, the county school board voted Monday night to drop mask requirements. The change went into effect Tuesday. Masks will still be required for school buses due to CDC and other federal rules. The change in Moore County comes as many other school districts around the state are adapting to new variants and emerging scientific findings that cloth masks are less effective than many had hoped. The Union County…

Jan

12

2022

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By North State Journal Staff

Moore County sees increase in Covid cases

Government, News, PoliticsCOVID

CARTHAGE — Covid cases have risen steadily in Moore County since mid-November. Through Sunday, January 9, the county experienced over 200 new cases per day. As of Monday, over 260 people have died with Covid in the county, according to public health officials. Over 90% of the deaths were in patients 50 years and older. No deaths have occurred in Moore County among residents under the age of 25. Over 91% of the county’s adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine with 89.6% of residents over 65 being fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Jan

09

2022

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By Associated Press

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has COVID

Government, Nation, NewsAOC, COVID

WASHINGTON, D.C. — New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has tested positive for COVID-19 and “is experiencing symptoms and recovering at home,” her office said in a statement Sunday evening. The Democratic congresswoman’s office said Ocasio-Cortez received a booster shot last fall. With the nation dealing with another surge of the virus since the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant, numerous members of Congress have reported breakthrough cases despite being fully vaccinated and boosted.

Dec

28

2021

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By Randolph Record

Omicron takes over, cases rise among vaccinated

Newsbreakthrough cases, CDC, COVID, delta, omicron

9 year-old Josie Murdoch holds her vaccination card at Chapel Hill Pediatrics and Adolescents after being innoculated with the Pfizer child COVID-19 vaccination in Chapel Hill, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) RALEIGH — On September 9, President Joe Biden called COVID-19 "a pandemic of the unvaccinated." New data from the U.S. and around the world suggests the new omicron variant may be impacting vaccinated people more than the unvaccinated. U.S. government figures show the omicron variant continues to account for a growing proportion of new coronavirus infections in the country. Omicron accounted for 59% of new cases…

Nov

30

2021

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By Haleluya Hadero | The Associated Press

Supply chain problems hit toy drive non-profits

BusinessChristmas, COVID, Joe Biden

NEW YORK — With less than four weeks to go until Christmas, non-profit organizations who supply gifts for less fortunate children are facing supply problems that may put a damper on Christmas spirit. Charities who give to kids during the holidays say they're facing challenges finding enough gaming consoles, laptops and other electronic items amid the global shortage of chips used in cars, phones and other devices. “I’ve never seen something like this,” said Kristyn Begari, purchasing coordinator for Family Giving Tree, a California non-profit. “Our biggest fear is we’re not going to get the quality of gifts that we…

Nov

24

2021

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By Moore County Staff

COVID cases drop for ninth straight week

NewsCOVID

ASHEBORO — Cases of COVID-19 dropped again this week to 166 new cases. Since a recent high of 847 new cases the week prior to September 17, new reported cases in Randolph County have fallen each week. Following last week, weekly case counts have dropped by over 80%. Randolph County has also experienced nine-straight weeks of lowering test positivity — the percentage of tests taken that are positive. After last week, 5.8% of COVID tests taken were positive. That’s a drop from 13.2% following the week of September 17.

Nov

03

2021

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By Bob Sutton

County schools use federal COVID education funds for bonuses

Government, News, PoliticsCOVID, Education

Randolph County Schools employees will receive $5,000 RALEIGH — Some North Carolina school boards have announced they will use federal COVID-19 relief funds to give bonuses to educators. The Randolph County Public School System will pay every employee a $5,000 bonus, according to a resolution adopted by the school board on Oct. 25. The resolution described the bonuses as “retention” and “premium pay.” Alamance County schools are giving full and part-time employees a $3,000 bonus while Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools employees will get a $1,400 bonus. According to the American Rescue Plan’s ESSER "FAQ," a district can use federal Elementary and…

Nov

02

2021

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By Moore County Staff

Randolph County School Board votes to remove mask requirement

NewsCOVID, Education, masks, masks COVID, schools

ASHEBORO — In a special meeting focused on mask rules, the Randolph County School Board has voted to end mandatory mask wearing. The mandate had been in place since the start of the school year. Prior to the school year starting, the county's largest school system had made masks optional. However, after pressure from Governor Roy Cooper — who had removed a statewide mask mandate for schools — the board reversed course just before students returned. The change at the county's largest school system came on election night where GOP-backed candidates swept the four open seats for the Asheboro City…

Oct

06

2021

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By Bob Sutton

NASCAR Day returns with big crowds

Business, NewsCOVID, NASCAR, Randleman, Richard Petty

Randleman Festival roars back to life to celebrate racing heritage RANDLEMAN — Last weekend’s NASCAR Day Festival went off pretty much without a hitch as several thousand people roamed Randleman streets. “We had a perfect weekend for it,” said Jeff Freeman, director of the festival. “The attendance was wonderful.” Saturday’s festival came after the 2020 version was cancelled because of the pandemic. There were precautions taken for this year’s edition, but Freeman said there were largely positive reviews. Asheboro cancelled it's annual Fall Festival for the second year in a row citing concerns over hospital capacity for such a large…

Oct

06

2021

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By Moore County Staff

COVID cases decline in Randolph, nationwide

Business, NewsCOVID, covid-19

ASHEBORO — New daily cases of COVID dropped about 35% since September 1 nationwide along with a 25% drop in the number of people hospitalized. In Randolph County, there was an 18% drop in new cases for the week preceding Oct. 3 along with a 79% drop in hospitalizations. Over 75% of Randolph County seniors have received at least one shot of a vaccine and 50% of the population over 12 years old has received one shot. All 100 counties in N.C. are still classified as areas of high transmission.