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Randolph Hospital Jul 10, 3 29 14 PM

Randolph Hospital lifts mask requirement

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ASHEBORO — Randolph Health announced Monday that it will lift universal masking requirements for patients, visitors and team members at all facilities effective at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

According to a release from Randolph Health, the decision to make masks optional was made in collaboration with other regional healthcare systems, including Novant Health, Atrium Health, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, CaroMont Health, and Cone Health.

Patients may request their care teams to wear masks during treatment and clinic visits.

While universal masking will no longer be required, certain exceptions apply, including wearing masks when respiratory virus symptoms are present and in treatment areas for high-risk patients, including those in isolation.

Randolph Hospital Jul 10, 3 27 00 PM

Randolph Hospital relaxes COVID restrictions

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ASHEBORO — Visitors to Randolph County’s only hospital will have more access and patients will be able to see more visitors after changes announced Monday. Randolph Hospital said in a press release that due to decreased COVID-19 activity the hospital would implement new visitation rules effective Tuesday.

Visiting hours will now be 7am to 8pm. Visitors will be screened for COVID symptoms, including a temperature check, and must be 12 years of age or older.

Visitors will still be required to wear masks.

COVID patients can now have two visitors from 4pm to 8pm while inpatients and emergency patients can now have unlimited visitors each day. Intensive care patients will still be limited to two daily visitors.

Maternity patients are permitted to have three adult visitors during active labor. Once labor is completed, maternity patients can have unlimited visitors.

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Citizens make voices heard against vaccine mandates

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PINEHURST — Citizen groups across the globe are protesting vaccine mandates as vaccine effectiveness against new variants of the COVID-19 virus has waned and Americans who are vaccinated are not showing high demand for boosters. On January 23, tens of thousands of people rallied on the National Mall to oppose government vaccine requirements.

Mitch Lancaster, a Moore County resident and former Southern Pines councilman, was one of the attendees from across the country to attend the event.

Rally attendees on the National Mall (L-R) Phil and Linda Vandercook, Lydia Boesch, Mitch Lancaster, John Boesch and Janice Cantelou. (Contributed Photo)

“I was thoroughly impressed with the doctors, their speeches and their commitment to the patient/doctor relationship. These men and women have taken a stand for truth and freedom and it was very inspiring,” said Lancaster.

During one of the speeches, Lancaster said he was heartbroken hearing from those who suffered an injury from the vaccine and how the federal government was “hanging those folks out to dry.”

“They were encouraged to take a shot that has injured them and now they are faced with medical expenses and hardship for who knows how long,” said Lancaster, who added that a group was formed to help those who have suffered from adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines.

“Overall it was great to see so many people, from all walks of life, committed to defeating these harmful mandates and fighting to restore our God-given freedoms,” he added.

Attendees gather in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 23 at a rally opposing government vaccine mandates. (Contributed Photo)

Protests, such as the one in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23, have sprung up around the world in response to government mandates.

In early November, the Biden administration announced a vaccine-or-test mandate for companies with at least 100 employees. The rule — which would have impacted more than 80 million U.S. workers — was originally set to go into effect on Jan. 4.

“The goal is to show a unified front of bringing people together — vaccinated, unvaccinated, Democrats, Republicans, all together in solidarity,” Matt Tune, one of the national protest organizers, told the Washington Post in an interview before the event.

Opposition to required vaccination is rising as the omicron variant of COVID-19 has become the dominant strain of the virus globally. Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a “fireside chat” with the Center for Strategic and International Studies Commission on January 11 that omicron “will ultimately find just about everybody.”

Demonstrations in European cities such as Athens, Helsinki, London, Paris, and Stockholm each drew thousands, according to an Associated Press rundown of the protests.

The protests follow several defeats for the mandates in U.S. courtrooms.

Most notably, President Joe Biden’s mandate for employers with 100 or more employees to require COVID-19 vaccinations was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Following that decision many companies which had announced they were complying with the Biden administration’s order backtracked from their requirements.

The Biden administration has officially withdrawn a rule that would have required workers at big companies to get vaccinated or face regular COVID testing requirements.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed the withdrawal Tuesday. But the agency said it still strongly encourages workers to get vaccinated.

U.S. corporations have been split over whether to mandate employee vaccinations. United Airlines began requiring vaccines in August; the company says 99% of its workers have been vaccinated or have requested medical or religious exemptions. Tyson Foods, which also announced a mandate in August, says 96% of its workers were vaccinated by a Nov. 1 deadline.

But other big businesses, including Starbucks and General Electric, scrapped previously announced vaccine mandates for their employees after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

OSHA indicated that the rule could return in some form. While it is no longer an enforceable standard, it remains a proposed rule, OSHA said. For now, the agency said it will prioritize the health care mandate.

David Michaels, an epidemiologist and former OSHA administrator who now teaches at The George Washington University, said the agency could consider a new rule that would include other measures designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces, such as requiring face masks, distancing, and better ventilation systems.

Across the border in Canada, truckers have recently protested a Canadian government rule that imposes a vaccine requirement for cross-border drivers. Truckers, with horns blaring, blocked the downtown of the Canadian capital Ottawa over the weekend and protestors blocked a border crossing in southern Alberta.

 

 

 

 

Virus Outbreak Congress

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has COVID

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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.

Virus Outbreak North Carolina

Omicron takes over, cases rise among vaccinated

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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 in the U.S. for the week ending Dec. 25, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 23% the previous week.

Initial data in the U.S. on omicron showed that three-fourths of the initial cases were among those who were vaccinated. While federal authorities have not released updated data on the now dominant strain, other countries have released data that indicates omicron could be as much as 80% breakthrough cases — infections in people who are vaccinated.

The CDC said last week that omicron already accounted for a majority of new cases in the country. But the agency said Tuesday it significantly lowered that previous estimate based on additional data it collected.

Still, it noted that omicron is accounting for a growing proportion of cases.

The rapid spread comes after the first confirmed case of omicron in the U.S. was identified earlier this month. Studies have provided early hints that it is milder than the delta variant.

Federal health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

CDC officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.

The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, propelled by the omicron variant.

Early research suggests omicron may cause milder illnesses than earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people becoming infected — and therefore having to isolate or quarantine — could impact the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open, experts say.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a lot of omicron cases.

“Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many are going to be asymptomatic,” she told The Associated Press on Monday. “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science.”

Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously called on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive. The new recommendations said workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and don’t have symptoms. And the agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.

Now, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for the general public to be even less stringent.

The change is aimed at people who are not experiencing symptoms. People with symptoms during isolation, or who develop symptoms during quarantine, are encouraged to stay home.

The CDC’s isolation and quarantine guidance has confused the public, and the new recommendations are “happening at a time when more people are testing positive for the first time and looking for guidance,” said Lindsay Wiley, an American University public health law expert.

Nevertheless, the guidance continues to be complex.

ISOLATION

The isolation rules are for people who are infected. They are the same for people who are unvaccinated, partly vaccinated, fully vaccinated or boosted.

They say:

—The clock starts the day you test positive.

—An infected person should go into isolation for five days, instead of the previously recommended 10.

—At the end of five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to normal activities but must wear a mask everywhere — even at home around others — for at least five more days.

—If you still have symptoms after isolating for five days, stay home until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a mask at all times.

QUARANTINE

The quarantine rules are for people who were in close contact with an infected person but not infected themselves.

For quarantine, the clock starts the day someone is alerted they may have been exposed to the virus.

Previously, the CDC said people who were not fully vaccinated and who came in close contact with an infected person should stay home for at least 10 days.

Now the agency is saying only people who got booster shots can skip quarantine if they wear masks in all settings for at least 10 days.

That’s a change. Previously, people who were fully vaccinated — which the CDC has defined as having two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — could be exempt from quarantine.

Now, people who got their initial shots but not boosters are in the same situation as those who are partly vaccinated or are not vaccinated at all: They can stop quarantine after five days if they wear masks in all settings for five days afterward.

FIVE DAYS

Suspending both isolation and quarantine after five days is not without risk.

A lot of people get tested when they first feel symptoms, but many Americans get tested for others reasons, like to see if they can visit family or for work. That means a positive test result may not reveal exactly when a person was infected or give a clear picture of when they are most contagious, experts say.

When people get infected, the risk of spread drops substantially after five days, but it does not disappear for everyone, said Dr. Aaron Glatt, a New York physician who is a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

“If you decrease it to five days, you’re still going to have a small but significant number of people who are contagious,” he said.

That’s why wearing masks is a critical part of the CDC guidance, Walensky said.

VARYING RECOMMENDATIONS

The new CDC guidance is not a mandate; it’s a recommendation to employers and state and local officials. Last week, New York state said it would expand on the CDC’s guidance for health care workers to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a severe staffing shortage.

It’s possible other states will seek to shorten their isolation and quarantine policies, and CDC is trying to get out ahead of the shift. “It would be helpful to have uniform CDC guidance” that others could draw from, rather than a mishmash of policies, Walensky said.

Given the timing with surging case counts, the update “is going to be perceived as coming in response to pressure from business interests,” Wiley said. But some experts have been calling for the change for months, because shorter isolation and quarantine periods appeared to be sufficient to slow the spread, she said.

The move by CDC follows a decision last week by U.K. officials to reduce the self-isolation period for vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Supply chain problems hit toy drive non-profits

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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 want, or we’re not going to have enough in general.”

Attempting to grant thousands of holiday wish requests has always been challenging for Begari. But it’s been downright miserable this year as the global supply chain bottlenecks create shortages on many items, making it difficult to grant many holiday wishes for the 34,000 children and adults the organization expects to aid in the Bay Area this holiday season.

Some wholesale vendors have already informed her that purchases will not arrive — giving her the option of getting a refund, or buying another item. If a child doesn’t get their preferred gift, she said the organization will attempt to grant their “second wish,” or find another replacement item.

Similar worries are being felt across the country as COVID-related supply chain snafus — produced by clogged U.S. ports, a lack of workers to move the cargo and skyrocketing shipping costs — lead to empty store shelves and higher prices on some products.

The supply chain slowdown is one of the main reasons why donations of new toys to The Toy Foundation have declined by nearly 80% in dollar value this year compared to 2019, according to Pamela Mastrota, the executive director of the group, which was formed by a toy industry trade association to act as an industry-wide charitable collective for manufacturers.

The lack of trade shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic also put a wrench in their collection efforts for the second year in a row, straining their ability to get gifts for sick, impoverished or other vulnerable children who are in need.

“It’s been a real challenge this year, and last year,” Mastrota said. “But this year especially.”

Mastrota’s only hope now is if more toys are donated quickly. But such donations might further stress the profit margins of manufacturers who are facing high shipping costs and pressure to pass on increased costs to consumers.

Jim Silver, CEO of Toys, Tots, Pets & More, a toy industry review website, says charities are bound to see less toy donations from manufacturers this holiday season because many containers holding their products are stuck at U.S. ports, which have been experiencing record volumes of shipping containers as the economy recovers from the pandemic.

“There is going to be a shortage,” he said. “Without a doubt.”

Last month, President Joe Biden announced plans to establish around-the-clock operation at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest, to tamp down the inflation being caused by ships waiting to dock and a shortage of truck drivers to haul goods. Port officials have said some of the bottleneck has since eased, but experts note it will take a long time before things get back to normal.

Toys for Tots, the nation’s most well known toy donation drive run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, is not expecting shortages, said David Cooper, the organization’s vice president of operations. He said the organization purchased about $16.5 million worth of toys this spring to mitigate any impact supply chain issues might have on donations.

Crowd of people walking street wearing masks

COVID cases drop for ninth straight week

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.

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County schools use federal COVID education funds for bonuses

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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 Secondary Education Relief funds to provide “premium pay” or other additional compensation for teachers, principals, and other school personnel, including school nutrition staff and custodians.

Federal ESSER funds are appropriated by the General Assembly to the districts, but then the funds are typically handled by county managers.

Randolph County Schools has received nearly $50 million in ESSER funding which was included in the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide premium pay to employees and substitutes to address COVID-related disruptions and staff shortages.

Jamey Falkenbury, the director of government and community affairs for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, confirmed to North State Journal that these federal funds can be used for specifically for “recruitment and retention” bonuses.

“It is permissible, by the Department of Education, for locals to use their ESSER funds on recruitment and retention bonuses for teachers and/or school support staff,” Falkenbury said.

The bonuses have to be given to all employees and can’t just target a specific grade-level or type of teacher.

The ESSER funds can last up upwards of seven or eight years if the money is encumbered per the district’s ESSER plan.

The idea of stretching out the long-term spending of ESSER funds is highlighted by a four-year monitoring scheme posted under the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s ESSER informational webpage.

The state’s largest district, Wake County, is also considering using federal relief dollars to augment teacher pay.

Wake County has recently been dealing with bus driver sick-outs, which have forced parents to provide transportation. The bus drivers say they want more pay and they are stressed out over routes they drive being lengthened due to too few drivers.

Falkenbury mentioned Wake County’s plan as a good one to look at since the district seems to have plotted out the use of its funds as far out at four to five years.

The conservative John Locke Foundation reported in July that nearly ninety percent of the roughly $6 billion in COVID relief funds remained still unspent by North Carolina school districts.

In North Carolina, the Charlotte-Mecklenberg and Wake County systems has have received $459 million and $310 million, respectively, of the over $4.6 billion in funds received through the two most recent ESSER funding rounds. Asheboro City Schools received over $14 million and Uwharrie Charter received $1.4 million.

 

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Randolph County School Board votes to remove mask requirement

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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 School board. Mask rules and critical race theory were key issues in this year’s election.

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NASCAR Day returns with big crowds

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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 event. Randolph County saw an overall 50% drop in COVID hospitalizations as September came to a close with six patients hospitalized for COVID the week before NASCAR Day.

“I felt we could do a great event,” he said.

Freeman, who’s executive director of the Randleman Chamber of Commerce, said crowd estimates ranged from 10,000 to 15,000.

The presence of NASCAR legend Richard Petty was once again among the highlights. Petty, who’s from nearby Level Cross and is usually the focus of the event, made appearances.

While autograph-signing sessions with Petty were nixed because of the pandemic, he did pose for photos with festival goers.

“Some people were a little disappointed in that (there weren’t autographs),” Freeman said. “But he did have pictures made. I’d rather have that. That shows you were there with him.”

Randleman’s festival has been held for more than three decades. Part of its focus is honoring racing heritage and the Petty family.

There were also no NASCAR show cars this year. Freeman said that partly came because of the expense related to having those on site.

Freeman said festival organizers were cognizant of the concerns related to COVID-19. He said there was additional spacing between vendors and sanitation areas set up. There also was a vaccination station for anyone interested in receiving a shot.

Some vendors pulled out because of the pandemic, though that was offset by others who filled in those slots. That might have come in part because of the cancellation of Asheboro’s fall festival, which had been scheduled for two days across the same weekend.

“We did pick up vendors from other canceled festivals from throughout the state,” Freeman said.

As part of the festival’s car show, Del Crawford of Fayetteville won Best of Show along with a special award for traveling the farthest to enter that competition. Crawford brought a 1937 Ford slantback.

 

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