Thread by @NC_Governor

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

https://twitter.com/NC_Governor/status/1375145134594088965

As of today, we have had 903,374 COVID-19 cases; 2,112 new cases reported since yesterday; 945 people in the hospital; and 11,987 people who have died. Our prayers are with those who have lost loved ones or who are fighting this virus.

Our sustained progress with the COVID-19 metrics allowed us this week to ease some additional restrictions beginning tomorrow while maintaining strong safety protocols. We are focused on slowing the spread of this virus while continuing to move the economy forward in a safe way.

Our health care providers are working tirelessly, early and late, in our fast and fair distribution of vaccines. As of today, we've administered almost 4.3 million doses and almost a third of our adult population has gotten at least one shot and one in five are fully vaccinated.

We are seeing continued improvement in providing vaccines to underserved communities. @ncdhhs is working with providers to improve outreach and ensure more people have access.

That includes standing up community vaccine sites, working with houses of worship, civic groups and businesses, setting up a free vaccine hotline and more. These efforts are important in getting more shots in arms. Vaccines are the key to moving us forward. I’m ready for that.

Our vaccine team has been talking with providers constantly to assess where they are in getting vaccines out across the state. It varies in different localities, but our overall success has been good and the state is ready to open vaccine access to more adults.

Today I am announcing that we will move to the rest of Group 4 on March 31. This includes essential workers in commercial services such as hospitality and retail, chemical and pharmaceutical facilities, construction, housing and real estate and other essential sectors.

Then the biggest change will happen on April 7th when we will open eligibility to Group 5, and that means all adults will then be eligible for the vaccine.

We’ve been faster and have gotten more supply than we had anticipated, and that’s fantastic. @ncdhhs and our vaccine team here along with providers across the state deserve a lot of thanks.

I’m also grateful for North Carolinians who are taking this seriously and getting the shot when it’s their time. I’m encouraged that North Carolina will be able to open eligibility to all adults well ahead of the President’s May 1 goal.

We aren't there yet, but in the next couple of months, we will have enough supply for everyone who wants a vaccine to get one. When that happens, each of us is going to have to talk with our friends & family who are hesitating about getting vaccinated and convince them to do it.

The vaccine is our path to recovery. It's the road to normalcy. The pandemic isn't over. We need to keep up our guard, wear our masks & act responsibly. That'll save lives & spark the economy. We're close to getting where we want to be, let’s stay the course and get there faster.