<p>Smith</p>

Smith

LUMBERTON — The seven days between Aug. 17 and Monday was the second-deadliest period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Robeson County, as 16 virus-related deaths were reported by the local Health Department.

This marks an increase from the 11 virus-related deaths reported between Aug. 10 and Aug. 16.

The latest deaths bring the county’s pandemic death toll to 304, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 dashboard.

Many of the county’s deaths over the past two weeks are people in their 20s, 30s and 50s, and a few older individuals, said Bill Smith, county Health Department director.

From Aug. 17 to Monday, 931 new virus cases were reported in the county, up from 882 for the period Aug. 10-16. The new cases bring to 21,228 the number of cases reported in Robeson County since the pandemic started. This equates to about one case for every 5.5 Robeson County residents.

The county’s testing positivity rate was 15.1% over the past week, Smith said. This is more than triple the stated goal of 5%.

American Indians in the county continue to contract the virus at a higher rate. Of the 814 cases in which the individual’s race is known by county health officials, 426 are American Indian. Whites account for 214 of the cases, African Americans 110 and Hispanics 24. Forty of the cases are listed as other. There were 117 cases in the past week in which the race was unlisted.

American Indians also are vaccinated at a lesser rate than other races in the county. American Indians account for 43% of the county’s population, but 29% of vaccinations. African Americans, 31% of population, 32% of vaccinations; and whites, 24% and 25%, are being vaccinated at a rate similar to their population rate. An additional 7% of vaccinations are listed as other, and for 6% the race is undisclosed.

There have been 44,945 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in Robeson County as of Tuesday, and 37,275 people are considered fully vaccinated.

“At 34% Robeson remains worst in the state for vaccination rates,” Smith said. “The Summer Reward Card program is set to end Aug. 31. Between that program, employer mandates and the public finally taking notice of a problem, vaccination clinics here have increased 10-fold.”

Pfizer’s vaccine was given full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Sunday. It had been administered until now under an emergency-use authorization.

“Now that Pfizer has received full authorization for use, the excuse that it is an experimental vaccine can be shelved,” Smith said. “Of course, we still have the time-honored claims of chips, magnets, the ability to grow horns and the development of the mark of the beast. The ‘doom-sayers’ must feel that the FDA simply overlooked these for some reason. Or here is the real reason, after researching thousands of participants over six months, there was no evidence other than the product delivered as promised. As the saying goes, do not let the facts get in the way of a good story.”

UNC Health Southeastern reported 45 virus-positive patients in isolation at its medical center as of Monday, down by one from the 46 reported on Aug. 16. Of those, 44 are unvaccinated. There is one employee quarantined because of possible exposure to the virus, the same number as on Aug. 16.

There have been 40,454 new cases reported in the state by NCDHHS between Aug. 18 and Tuesday, up from 36,064 from Aug. 11 to Aug. 17. This brings the state’s pandemic total to 1,166,141 reported cases.

There were 257 virus-related deaths reported statewide between Aug. 18 and Tuesday, up from 127 from Aug. 11 to Aug. 17, making a total of 14,152 for the pandemic.

There were 3,342 virus-related hospitalizations in the state as of Tuesday, up from 2,828 on Aug. 17.

There have been 5,165,724 first doses of the vaccine administered statewide, with 4,720,033 people considered fully vaccinated, according to NCDHHS.

In other virus-related news, NCDHHS announced Monday the launch of TeenVaxFacts.com, a website dedicated to providing teens with the information, tools and resources they need to educate themselves, their friends and their family members about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines.

The website includes materials such as a COVID-19 vaccine discussion guide, vaccine locations and informative videos.

Teens ages 12 to 17 can get the Pfizer vaccine. To find providers with the Pfizer vaccine, go to MySpot.nc.gov and filter for Pfizer. People age 18 and older can get the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccines in North Carolina, visit MySpot.nc.gov or call the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Help Center at 888-675-4567. Residents can text their zip code to 438829 to find vaccine locations near them.