“We’re getting better at living with it”: Governor Roy Cooper provides update on NC COVID numbers

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — Governor Roy Cooper held a press conference this afternoon providing an update on COVID numbers and vaccination percentages across North Carolina.

According to Cooper, over 10,000 people have tested positive for COVID since Monday, with over 3,000 people currently in the hospital across the state.

Since the pandemic began in 2020, nearly 20,000 North Carolina residents have died from COVID, but Cooper says we’ve learned a lot that we are using to our advantage.

“We’re using that knowledge to keep students safely in the classroom, help businesses stay open, and ensure public services are running as effectively and efficiently as possible,” Cooper said. “And the way for us to get even better on all of that is to get more of us vaccinated, and then boosted once we’re eligible.”

Over 92 percent of seniors age 65 or older have been fully vaccinated, with 64 percent having received their booster, according to Cooper.

In addition to an update on pandemic numbers, Cooper also announced plans to extend executive order 224 requiring vaccinations and testing of all state employees.

Cooper said the vaccine is the strongest protection against all variants of COVID, and is the best way for people to go back to “living normal lives”.