Thread by @NC_Governor

Updates from Gov. Cooper's COVID-19 briefing:

https://twitter.com/NC_Governor/status/1359214079177539593

As of today, we have had 802,065 lab-confirmed cases; 2,786 new cases reported since yesterday; 2,374 people in the hospital; and, sadly, 10,046 people who have died.

We've passed the grim milestone of 10,000 deaths in North Carolina, and it is a stark reminder of how dangerous this virus can be. Our prayers are with those who have lost loved ones to this cruel disease.

Our numbers remain stable, which is good. And we are encouraged to see a continued decline in our hospitalizations and percent of positive COVID-19 tests. Still, we must keep our guard up.

This virus and its variants are still spreading too easily. Doing the simple things that we know work, like wearing a mask and social distancing, will slow the spread and save lives until vaccines are more widely available.

Distributing vaccine quickly and equitably remain our top priority in North Carolina. We continue running an efficient vaccine distribution and are getting all of North Carolina’s allocated first doses into arms each week before we receive the next shipment.

I’m grateful for the work of @NCDHHS and the vaccine providers across this state who are delivering this life-saving vaccine as quickly as possible.

Speed is critical, but we are also emphasizing equity. Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by this devastating pandemic, and the state is working to reduce the high rates of sickness that this population is experiencing.

The health care coverage gap in North Carolina has left many without access to a doctor. Add to that longstanding, systemic inequities in our healthcare system, and you can get mistrust of this vaccine as well as lack of preventative care.

We are working to address those inequities. We can start by making sure that every community has access to these vaccines. And that means making a conscious effort to track the data and seek fairness in vaccine distribution.

Our team has ramped up efforts to include vaccine providers that serve communities of color as we get vaccines to every county in the state. They're reaching out to underserved communities and paying attention to equity in how they allocate doses, including weekly vaccine events.

It’s important to let the public know exactly what we’re doing. NC has been recognized nationally for our work sharing data about race and ethnicity with vaccinations and confirmed cases down to the county level. @NCDHHS will continue to make this information widely available.

North Carolina is making some progress in improving vaccine access for Black North Carolinians, although we have more to do. Last week, 18 percent of vaccines were administered to African Americans, up from 11 percent four weeks earlier. That’s a 65 percent increase.

This is an improvement, but there is more work to be done when North Carolina’s population is 22 percent Black. Also in our Latinx community, vaccination rates have been especially low.

Today, I’m issuing Executive Order 193 which will extend previous orders giving the @NCDHHS Secretary the ability to temporarily waive industry regulations in order to speed vaccine distribution.

Today’s order gives the department authority to expand types of providers to administer vaccines. I’m ordering state officials to marshal all state resources, including property, facilities & personnel, upon request by NCDHHS, to help with vaccination efforts as supply increases.

We know there’s still not enough vaccine supply to vaccinate the millions of people who need it. We’re pushing for more. And today on a call with the Biden Administration’s Coronavirus team we were told NC would get another five percent increase in vaccine supply this week.

I know all of this is hard, and I want people to know that I’m committed to making sure that vaccine gets to every North Carolinian as quickly and fairly as possible.

In the meantime, we have to keep wearing our masks and doing the things we know work to slow the spread of the virus. If we keep doing what works, I know we’ll get through this.