Gov. Cooper receives 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine

NORTH CAROLINA (WWAY/AP) — Gov. Roy Cooper has received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The governor got a shot of the Pfizer vaccine just after 12 p.m. on Wednesday.

“I’m proud to have received my first shot today and grateful for the health care workers who helped make it happen,” Cooper wrote on Twitter. “This life-saving vaccine will help us beat this pandemic. I encourage all North Carolinians to get theirs when it’s their turn.”

Cooper and other elected officials are now eligible for a COVID-19 shot under new guidance the governor outlined earlier this week.

The updated distribution plan makes Cooper, other elected officials and a broad group of people who are considered frontline essential workers eligible.

Dr. Mandy Cohen is the state’s top public health official and plans to get vaccinated this week. Johnson & Johnson vaccines have arrived in the state.

Health officials say the single-dose shot is similarly effective to Pfizer and Moderna in preventing COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths.

March, 3, 2021 marks one year since the first COVID-19 case was reported in North Carolina

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said the state has 2,145 new cases for a total of 865,554 cases statewide since the pandemic began. The daily percent positive is 6.1%, an increase from 5.7% the previous day.

In all, 75 more people died from COVID-19, bringing the state total to 11,363.

The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 related illnesses is 1,303, a decrease of 40 from the day before.