North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper Coronavirus Press Conference Transcript March 11

Governor Cooper: (01:01) Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining today's update. As of today, we have had 879,825 COVID-19 cases, 2,061 new cases reported since yesterday, 1,039 people in the hospital, and, sadly, 11,622 people who have died. Our prayers continue to be with those who have lost loved ones or who are fighting this virus. As we discussed at Tuesday's briefing, North Carolina continues to focus on getting vaccines into arms as quickly and as fairly as possible. I'm so grateful for our providers out there who continue to meet that challenge. With the addition of a third safe and effective one-shot vaccine and a steady increase in both two-shot vaccines, we were able to open all of Group 3 for vaccinations on March the 3rd. That meant that all of our frontline essential workers could be in line to get shots. Governor Cooper: (02:02) This week, Department of Health and Human Services officials have continued to survey providers about how they're handling the demand from Group 1 and 3 and whether they have the capacity to move forward. Today, based on their feedback and the expected vaccine supply over the next several days, we're announcing that some members of Group 4 will be able to be eligible to receive their vaccine beginning March the 17th, a week earlier than we anticipated. Governor Cooper: (02:34) Group 4 will be open to people with medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness. Also eligible starting March 17th will be people living in some congregate settings that increase their risk of exposure. The additional members of Group 4 will be eligible for vaccines beginning April the 7th. As with previous statewide group eligibility changes, some providers in some parts of the state may not be ready to move into Group 4 on March the 17th, and we want them to make sure that they're still meeting the demand in Groups 1 through 3. Governor Cooper: (03:14) This move to Group 4 is good news, and it's possible because of the tireless work of our state health officials, vaccine providers, federal partners, our North Carolina National Guard and emergency management, and so many others. I want you to know that your work is making all the difference. Yesterday I toured the famous supported site in Greensboro, and it's really going well. I've talked to a lot of people who had just gotten their shots. More than 3,300 shots were given on the first day there, and I know that there are many other efforts across the state getting vaccines to people as quickly and as fairly as possible. Governor Cooper: (03:54) So far, about 11% of North Carolinians are fully vaccinated, and about 18% have had their first shots. 66% of the people 65 and older, our most vulnerable group, have had at least one shot. That's progress, but we still have work to do, and I'm pleased that our COVID-19 numbers also remain stable. That's due in part to people continuing to wear their mask and use good judgment. We've got to keep it up. Until there is enough vaccine, wearing our masks is as important as ever. If we keep looking out for ourselves and each other, we'll beat this pandemic and emerge even stronger than before. Now I'll ask Dr. Mandy Cohen, our Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, to give us an update. Dr. Cohen. Dr. Cohen: (04:49) Thank you, Governor. Before I talk about who will be eligible to get their vaccines starting on March 17th, I want to make sure our frontline essential workers know who they are and that they are eligible for vaccine right now. To be a frontline essential worker, you need to work in one of eight essential sectors, and you have to be in-person at your place for work. These eight essential sectors are determined by the federal government. Dr. Cohen: (05:15) The first sector is critical manufacturing, and it includes people manufacturing products needed for the food supply or manufacturing medical supplies and equipment. Second is education. This is our childcare, K-12 and higher education workforce. Third is essential goods. If you work in a store that sells groceries and medicine, this is you. Fourth is food and agriculture. This includes meat packing, food processing, and farm workers, as well as those working in restaurants. Fifth is government and community service. A lot of folks fall in this sector, including clergy, court workers, reporters, and postal workers. Sixth is healthcare and public health, which includes social workers. Seventh is public safety, and this sector includes our firefighters and police officers. Finally, eighth is transportation, which includes public transit workers, maintenance and repair technician. Dr. Cohen: (06:07) I've just shared a few examples of each sector. So if you aren't sure if you are a frontline essential worker, please call our help center at (888) 675-4567 or use the Find My Group tool on our website, yourspotyourshot.nc.gov. Dr. Cohen: (06:27) Governor Cooper and I got our vaccines last week as part of this frontline essential worker group, and I want to encourage all of our frontline workers to take their shot. You can call the help center or you can go to our website to find a vaccine location. Dr. Cohen: (06:42) Okay. Now let's look ahead. As the governor shared, beginning on March the 17th, some people in Group 4 will be eligible for vaccination. While supplies are improving and because Group 4 is very large, we are going to start first only with those who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk, as well as people who live in certain congregate settings. The rest of Group 4 will be eligible beginning on April the 7th. Dr. Cohen: (07:09) North Carolina follows the recommendations of the CDC as to who is at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. This includes conditions like asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, sickle cell disease, obesity, or smoking. A complete list of high-risk conditions is on our website, again, yourshotyourspot.nc.gov. People experiencing homelessness or living in a homeless shelter and people in correctional facilities who have not already been vaccinated will also be eligible on March the 17th. Dr. Cohen: (07:46) We are very fortunate to now have three tested, safe, and effective COVID-19 vaccines that keep people out of the hospital and prevent death from this virus. With improving supplies, North Carolina can get more people vaccinated sooner and meet our goals to provide equitable access to vaccinations in every community in the state. Dr. Cohen: (08:07) We're already seeing the benefits of our vaccine effort, and so I'm really pleased to share that the federal government just released new guidance for long-term care visitation. With few exceptions, facilities can now allow responsible indoor visitations for all residents, regardless of vaccination status. Outdoor visits are still best when possible, and facilities, visitors, and residents still need to maintain COVID-19 infection control measures. Dr. Cohen: (08:37) Of the many things that have been so difficult this past year, being physically separated from our loved ones has been perhaps the most painful. I'm grateful to all who have worked so hard to protect our most vulnerable residents, and I'm thankful that families and loved ones can be physically reunited. For those who want to learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, I hope you'll join us tonight at 5:30 for our third fireside chat. I'll be talking with- Dr. Mandy Cohen: (09:03) Tonight at 5:30 for our third fireside chat, I'll be talking with Reverend Dr. William Barber and NAACP State Conference President, Reverend Anthony Spearman. It will stream live on all of our social media channels, and I'll be better about names at 5:30. To slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, continue to practice the three Ws: Wear a mask, wait six feet apart and wash your hands until most people have a spot to take their shot. Thank you, governor. Governor Roy Cooper: (09:37) Thanks a lot, Dr. Cohen. Also with us today, Emergency Management Chief of Staff Will Ray, Commissioner of Prisons Todd Ishee, Monica McGee and Lee Williamson are our sign language interpreters, and behind the scenes, Jackie and Jasmine Metivier are our Spanish language interpreters. I will now take questions from the media. If you can identify yourself and your organization, we would appreciate it. We'll take the first one. Speaker 1: (10:04) Our first question is from Kristi O'Connor with WBTV. Kristi O'Connor: (10:10) Hi Governor, thanks for taking my question. I was wondering if by opening up the vaccination to more people if that would improve the efficiency of getting more vaccines into ours since we sit at about 89% of using the vaccines right now. Governor Roy Cooper: (10:30) Okay. So we are continuing to work to try to get more supply. I think a lot of providers right now are ready to move to group four, but I'll let Dr. Cohen address that. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (10:49) Thanks for the question. As you know and you can follow with us on our dashboard. What we are able to show is that week over week, we are getting vaccine out very quickly. Remember, our vaccine week starts on a Wednesday. So as we're here on a Thursday, it's just the beginning of our vaccine week. Meeting vaccines arrived yesterday. And now over the course of the next number of days, we're going to be working to get that vaccine out. We are still vaccinating groups, one, two and three. That means folks who are 65 and up, our frontline essential workers, healthcare workers, and those in long-term care. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (11:22) So that is still our focus of vaccinations. And you will see that percentage go up as we've now gotten in that new supply. We'll get that out over the next number of days. I think the only exception I'd say to that is the newer Johnson & Johnson vaccine came off schedule from the rest of our vaccinations. And actually we knew we were getting one traunch of J&J vaccine and then not an additional vaccine going forward for a few weeks. So we did give our vaccine providers additional time to get that Johnson & Johnson vaccine out the door. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (11:55) But again, you can watch on our dashboard as you can see our providers now that they have a new that's come into the state. There'll be working through that over the course of the next number of days. And generally by Monday, Tuesday of next week, we have no first doses of vaccine on our shelves at all. Thank you. Governor Roy Cooper: (12:16) Next question, please. Speaker 1: (12:20) Our next question is from Cullen Browder with WRAL. Cullen Browder: (12:24) Good afternoon, Governor. Thanks for taking my question. There are a lot of statistics when it comes to the vaccines. According to the CDC, we have the eighth highest total number of doses administered, but then when you break it down per capita we're in the lower third in regards to doses delivered and actually 43rd when it comes to doses administered per capita. What is your response to those kinds of per capita numbers and what can we do to improve that? And is this a matter of logistics or is it also some reluctance on the part of the public? Thanks. Governor Roy Cooper: (13:05) My demand to providers is to get vaccine off of the shelf and into arms before the next shipment gets there. And we're working to make sure that those arms look like the people of North Carolina. We are eighth in the country and are ninth or 10th in population, eighth in the country in number of vaccines given. And a lot of those COVID-19 statistics on that database shift around and a lot of them are bunched together. I know a lot of governors have complained about the COVID-19 database from the CDC because of some inaccuracies that are there, but I will let Dr. Cohen address that a little more. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (13:58) Thanks Governor and thanks Cullen for the question. What's important to know about the CDC numbers as well as opposed to what you're seeing on our dashboard. We get a certain amount of vaccine that's allocated to the state, but we know that vaccine is coming to our state through other channels. We know that vaccine is coming through the retail pharmacy program to Walgreens and CVS. We know it's going to our fairly qualified health centers. It's also going to the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. So there are other channels in which vaccine is coming to us. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (14:29) We are trying to actually get more visibility from the CDC to understand exactly what is going in to make their numbers up. Because when we look at our numbers that our vaccine providers are getting out, they're getting out those vaccines very quickly. And so we are trying to, just like you, understand why the CDC numbers and our understanding of getting vaccine out doesn't always line up. And we believe it is because some of other channels in which vaccine is getting distributed, but that is not within our visibility nor is it in our ability to get those out any quicker because of the other ways in which the vaccine gets allocated. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (15:11) What I can say is you can follow along on our dashboard. As I was saying before, you can see that when our shipment comes in, you will see that on our dashboard. And then you'll see over the next course of just a few days, we get those vaccines out very quickly. And in fact, we know more supply is coming. So we are building capacity waiting in the wings so that we are able to continue to get out vaccine very quickly. So we know as the Governor said, he's very clear with us about what our charge is to get vaccines out fast and fair. Thank you. Governor Roy Cooper: (15:46) Next question, please. Speaker 1: (15:49) Follow-up. Cullen Browder, WRAL. Cullen Browder: (15:51) For those people who would qualify because of their medical conditions under group four. As they prepare, do they need some sort of proof, doctor's note, anything to supply when they're making their appointments? Governor Roy Cooper: (16:09) We are going to rely on people's good judgment and their knowledge of their own medical conditions to tell what their condition is. But no, there's no written proof that's required of this. Dr. Cohen, do you want to address? She said, "That's correct." Next question, please. Speaker 1: (16:31) Our next question is from Brian Anderson with the Associated Press. Brian Anderson: (16:36) Hi Governor. Hi Dr. Cohen. Brian Anderson here with the AP with two questions for you. We're hearing that some pharmacies might be holding back on scheduling second dose appointments or scheduling them further back than the recommended three or four weeks, depending if it's Pfizer or Moderna. I just wanted to hear what your advice to them would be, whether you want them to stick to that 21-28 timeline? And I can ask my follow-up after that. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (17:09) Hi Brian, thanks for the question. And we continue to get the guidance from the federal government, from the CDC to say, "Yes, we need to be sticking with the 21 or 28-day timeframe if you're getting the Pfizer or the Moderna." So that is the advice we continue to say. Now, folks in the pharmacy space may have different ways of booking out appointments. It's okay if you're not exact to the 21 days, there is some leeway in there for a number of days, but we are trying to hold ourselves to as close to we can of the 21 and 28 days as we go forward. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (17:46) And what I would say is across North Carolina, we look at our second doses and getting out more than 90% of people are coming back and within those 21 or 28-day windows, getting their second doses. So folks are coming back. We know there's work to do for that little bit of folks who we need to make- Dr. Mandy Cohen: (18:03) ... to do for that little bit of folks who we need to make sure come back for that second dose vaccine. Providers are handling it differently, some are scheduling that second dose appointment, right when you schedule your first. Some are scheduling it when you get your first that vaccine. So we know they're handling it in different ways, but we're seeing very good results of people coming back for their second dose, excuse me. Thank you. Governor Roy Cooper: (18:27) I will say too Brian, that in our daily COVID calls and my conversations with our vaccine team, I've been very interested and persistent about asking them about follow-up second shots. And that's how we know that we have over 90% return rate on second shots. And I've also instructed them to get providers. And we have people here who have tried to reach out to people who haven't shown up. And a lot of them have said that they got their shot somewhere else. So we think probably that number is higher than 90%, but we're going to continue to push our providers to seek out people, to make sure they get that second shot. The good thing is that you do have some immunity with the first shot, but the best thing to do is to get that second shot at the allotted time. Next question, please. Thank you. Speaker 2: (19:23) You had a followup I think? Speaker 3: (19:26) Yes. Thanks for that, that was helpful. On the CDC's website, they distinguish between people who are at increased risk and might be at increased risk. In North Carolina, its sort of bundling both of them together. I was just looking for an explanation as to why you might feel that someone who was just narrowly overweight, but otherwise healthy, should be on the same level as someone with severe substantial issues like cancer? Governor Roy Cooper: (19:54) Dr. Cohen addressed this, but I know that we didn't want to get too precise in trying to narrowly define who could go and who could not, because that can slow you down. A question earlier about whether proof was required, a lot of that was considered. But I think we found out early in the process, that the less cumbersome we make this process that we get you in and get you your shot and get you out, the better off we are. But I'll let Dr. Cohen address that specifically as well. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (20:30) Thanks Brian. We are using the CDC guidance that looks at what are those conditions that puts you at higher risk for disease. There are some in that group, they're not all equal, but we wanted to make sure that all of those who had some increased risk because of their underlying medical condition, were able to get vaccinated in this next group. And I think that's what you will see. We know this is a large group and we are appreciative that it's to take us some time to get through this group, and we're all going to be working with our vaccine providers. But we're also seeing that increase in supply coming, and so we're grateful that with the increased supply and the work of our vaccine providers, that we'll be able to vaccinate all of those with some increased risk because of their underlying medical conditions. Thank you. Governor Roy Cooper: (21:24) Next question, please. Speaker 4: (21:27) Our next question is from Robin Kennedy with Fox 46. Robin Kennedy: (21:33) Hi, good afternoon, governor and Dr. Cohen, this is Robin with Fox 46. I wanted to see if you guys can clarify the group that goes first on the March 17th is of course the high risk medical and then the congregate living who haven't been vaccinated yet. But then who are the others left in group four and also wanted to ask why the folks with the high risk medical haven't been higher on the list? Of course, they do have a high risk of contracting COVID-19. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (22:09) Thanks Robin for that. So right now we are continuing to vaccinate 65 up, our healthcare workers, long-term care, and our frontline essential workers. The reason we started with those groups is we really tried to look at who is at highest risk for a severe outcome. There are levels of risk in all of this, but who is at the highest risk and who is at the highest level of exposure? So we're really looking at both of those factors. And when you look at both of those factors, it was sort of very clear that we needed to go with healthcare workers, particularly those who work with COVID patients first. And then we went to our long-term care settings, because that's where folks are both at the most medically frail and they have exposure. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (22:49) Then we went to our group 65 and up, and we've talked about this before, if you look at our numbers, more than 80% of the deaths in North Carolina have come from those who are over the age of 65. And so it felt that was the right cut point for our state to help us understand risk. That is not a perfect cut of risk. We know that there are some healthy 67 year olds, and we know that there are some 61 year olds with a medical condition, which is exactly why we are now moving as we go to group four, to those with an underlying medical condition that would put them at higher risk for COVID going forward. As far as the two groups in group four, you are right, we are starting with those who have a medical condition, and then the second group will be those other essential workers. We started with frontline essential workers, and I talked about the eight categories of frontline essential workers, but we know there's a lot of other essential workers. And so we encourage folks to go to yourspotyourshot.nc.gov. It asks you some questions about your job, your age, and it will help you and understand what group you will be in, and you can leave your contact information and we will let you know when we move forward to your group. Thanks. Governor Roy Cooper: (24:12) Next question. Speaker 4: (24:15) Our next question is from Dawn Vaughn with News and Observer. Dawn Vaughn: (24:20) Hi there. Dawn Vaughn with News and Observer. So we know you should take whatever vaccine is available first, but when people sign up, sometimes you can choose which kind. So can you tell us why each of you took the particular vaccine and what people should know about it, especially if there's not a 100% rate of return? Governor Roy Cooper: (24:39) Well, first I think it's important for everybody to know that all three of these vaccines protect equally against serious illness and death, which is the most important thing when we're talking about COVID-19. A lot of people like just having one shot and being one and done, instead of having to go through two shots. I had Pfizer because I wanted to start on the first day of essential workers, to show other essential workers on the frontline, that I was with them and encouraging them to go and get their shot. And I ran down to Make med and Pfizer was all they had, so, that's what I took. Dr. Cohen took Johnson and Johnson, but I'll let her talk about that question as well. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (25:31) Thanks governor. And I would encourage anyone too, when it is your spot, to take the first appointment that you can get, to get your vaccine. I think these are three safe and effective vaccines. As you can see, governor took one type of vaccine. I happened to take the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine, and as the governor said, "One and done," and there's a lot of reason why that can be very appealing to folks. Again, we still have very limited amounts of Johnson and Johnson vaccines here in the state. We anticipate having more of the one-shot version of the vaccine in the April timeframe. So if you are someone who becomes eligible within the next week, I'd encourage you to get the first vaccine that is available to you, so that we can get folks vaccinated as quickly as possible. Thank you. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (26:25) Next question, please. Speaker 4: (26:28) We have a followup, Dawn Vaughn, News and Observer. Dawn Vaughn: (26:32) Hi, you had mentioned that timeline changed because of increased vaccine supply. Is there any factor on people who aren't taking it? I know you've done some outreach with equity. Is there more with the Latino community? Are there other demographics, age, political persuasion of people who aren't taking a vaccine when they're eligible and what's the plan to try to get them to? Governor Roy Cooper: (26:57) Yes. Increased vaccine supply is one reason that we're opening it up. Second is that we've heard from some... Governor Cooper: (27:03) ... is one reason that we're opening it up. Second is that we've heard from some providers who really want to go ahead and start opening this up. I think pretty much across the state, we still have a lot more demand than we have supply, but we are concerned about some people who are not taking the vaccine and we know sometime relatively soon, we'll have more supply and there will be less demand because some people just simply are not going to get it for whatever reason. And we're going to be committed to working hard to shake the trees and make sure that we get in, because herd immunity is going to be important and getting everybody vaccinated will be important as well. And Dr. Cohen, I'm sure can shed some more light on this. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (27:56) Hi, Don. What I think we're finding is really important is to make sure that there are access points for vaccination that are convenient to all communities and that is a challenge. Particularly right now when the demand is so high, vaccine and appointments disappear really quickly, particularly as you would think about some of our frontline essential workers. One of the reasons I went through in detail, there are a lot of folks who said, "Oh, I didn't realize that I was a frontline essential worker." So, that's one. So we have work to do to make sure folks know that they are eligible and can get vaccine, but also. These are our workers. They have locked in schedules. It's not quite as easy necessarily for them to find an appointment. So we really have to do our work to make sure we're getting access points. It's why I'm really excited about the FEMA site in Greensboro. Dr. Mandy Cohen: (28:43) I think it is both positioned in a community that is often underserved, but the fact that it is in a mall has actually been quite a useful tool to us, because there are so many frontline essential workers, whether they're working in restaurants, whether they're working in transportation or they are first responders, it's been an ability for them to show up at that site. And that's just one of many, many across the state. So we're doing work particularly with those businesses who run frontline, essential businesses to say, "How can we make vaccines more convenient and more accessible for your workers?" So I think that's the work that is going on behind the scenes. But as the governor said, we still see a lot of demand for vaccine. We know it is hard to get an appointment. And so, we're wanting to make sure that we are getting more supply from the federal government. The good news is it's improving. So make sure to know when your group is eligible and sign up for a vaccine appointment. Thank you. Governor Cooper: (29:46) Yeah. And another reason that FEMA site is good is that it's open seven days a week, 12 hours a day. So that really helps our frontline essential workers who as Dr. Cohen said, many of them are working, it's for them to get a shot. You've got all of these appointments for an eight week period, and we really encourage our frontline essential workers at that FEMA site. But there are other providers who are, who are doing it at other hours of the day. So I think that's important. Next question, please. Speaker 5: (30:15) Our next question is from Sharon Van Zieten with Spectrum News. Sharon: (30:22) Hello governor and Dr. Cohen. I'm asking this on behalf of one of my colleagues has been studying this. Many people are asking about the role of cigarettes as an underlying condition and the CDC's language about cigarettes. It says up to 100 smokes in a lifetime. Can you give us any insight as to how that guidance got there and the requirement and how it would be enforced or verified from many years ago? Dr. Mandy Cohen: (30:51) Hi Sharon, just like underlying medical condition, there's not going to be written proof, but what I think it shows and the research bears us out is that even being a smoker for a short period of time in your life can do underlying damage to your lungs. And again, this is a disease that can impact inflammation in your lungs. And so, we have seen a worse outcomes in those who are smokers. And so even if you're not a current smoker, but are a former smoker, that could have had underlying lung damage for you and again puts you at increased risk. Again, no need to have proof of that or a medical condition for this. And starting on March 17th, those folks will be eligible for vaccination. Thank you. Governor Cooper: (31:41) Next question. Speaker 5: (31:44) We have a follow-up Sharon Van Zieten, Spectrum News. Speaker 5: (31:48) Follow up Dr. Cohen. With so many more people getting vaccines. Now and the group is a much bigger group, is there more dissemination of information with respect to whether people should or should not take ibuprofen or acetaminophen before or after a test because there's been evidence or at least anecdotes that it makes the vaccine less effective? Dr. Mandy Cohen: (32:12) Yeah, there is no recommendation that you can't take acetaminophen, which is Tylenol or ibuprofen often called Advil after your vaccination, because some people will have a sore arm and feel achy. It is fine to take that afterwards. We do not recommend taking it ahead of time. I think that is not necessary. You want to see how you feel. If you are feeling a little achy or under the weather, it's fine to take some Tylenol acetaminophen or some ibuprofen or Advil afterwards, just to deal with those mild symptoms. It did not seem to impact the effectiveness of the vaccine and the immunity you will build. It's actually, by the fact that you are feeling achy or you're having that sore arm, that means your body's training itself to be ready for if it sees the COVID in the future, that it'll be ready to fight it off. Thanks. Governor Cooper: (33:09) Next question, please. Speaker 5: (33:12) Our final question today will be from Grace Holland with WSMY. Grace Holland: (33:15) Hi, my question's actually already been asked. So if there's anyone else that wants to jump in, thank you. Speaker 5: (33:31) That's all the questions we have time for. Governor Cooper: (33:31) Thank you all. And please stay safe, everybody out there. And we'll see you next time.