Thread by @JeffJacksonNC

We lost far more Americans to Covid in December than we lost in the entire Vietnam War.

And as we start January, all of our state's Covid numbers are moving swiftly in the wrong direction.

The most troubling metric is our positive test percentage, which just hit a record.

This metric is important because it controls for the amount of tests we're giving.

So for the people who say, "Sure, there are more positive tests, but that's just because we're testing more people," we've got this metric to determine just how prevalent the virus is.

There was a brief moment in September where we fell below 5% and we were starting to feel better about things. Sec. Cohen said she really wanted us below 2%.

We never got there.

Hospitalizations are also at a record high.

If you've been following the vaccine updates, you know that it's going to take several months to get through the first three phases of vulnerable/exposed people before we move into the general population.

Dr. Fauci says we need roughly 80% of the population vaccinated before we reach herd immunity.

That means that our vigilance will be a much more powerful lifesaver than the vaccine for the next few months.

*Regarding the vaccine*:

I've gotten dozens of good questions about vaccine deployment and prioritization.

I've answered the ones I know, but for the rest I'm talking with NCDHHS to learn more about their decisions.

As I do, I'll update you. I know everyone is paying close attention to their place in line and there are still some gray areas that make that hard to decipher.

I'll give you all the information I can as soon as possible.