Mike Zelek, the director of the Chatham County Health Department, joins 97.9 The Hill’s Brighton McConnell for this week’s Chatham County Roundup. He shares some of the latest data to the omicron variant of COVID-19, as well as how the state and county are set to address it. Plus: Zelek reflects on the last year of COVID response and hopes to learn more about the Chatham community with a new survey.
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Estimated 73% Of US Now Immune to Omicron: Is That Enough?
Written by CARLA K. JOHNSON The omicron wave that assaulted the United States this winter also bolstered its defenses, leaving enough protection against the coronavirus that future spikes will likely require much less — if any — dramatic disruption to society. Millions of individual Americans’ immune systems now recognize the virus and are primed to fight it […]
How Will Pandemic End? Omicron Clouds Forecasts for Endgame
Written by LAURAN NEERGAARD and CARLA K. JOHNSON Pandemics do eventually end, even if omicron is complicating the question of when this one will. But it won’t be like flipping a light switch: The world will have to learn to coexist with a virus that’s not going away. The ultra-contagious omicron mutant is pushing cases […]
Chatham County Roundup: Public Health Director Mike Zelek
Mike Zelek, the director of the Chatham County Public Health Department, joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell on-air on Wednesday, September 20.
Chatham County Community Assessment Highlights Health Inequities, Priorities
To help get a snapshot of its community’s wellbeing and issues, the Chatham County Health Department assembled an extensive survey and report. Published earlier this month, the 2021 Chatham County Community Assessment aims to understand the needs of its residents while providing a path for organizations to take action. Maia Fulton-Black, a population health data […]
Chatham County Begins N95 Mask Distribution; Orange County Prepares for More
Those seeking N95 masks for better mitigation of COVID-19’s spread can now receive a pack for free at several locations in Chatham County. The county health department shared a release Thursday saying it is making several thousand masks available to the public at the three branches of the Chatham County Public Libraries. Each household can […]
Carrboro Suspends Indoor Recreation Programs, Reservations Through January
The Town of Carrboro is suspending its indoor recreation programs for the next few weeks, citing the ongoing surge in local COVID-19 cases. The town government shared an alert Wednesday afternoon saying its Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources Department will not hold indoor programs and is suspending reservations through Sunday, January 30. The recent increase […]
China Faces Omicron Test Weeks Ahead of Beijing Olympics
Written by HUIZHONG WU Most access to a major city adjacent to Beijing was suspended Thursday as China tried to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious omicron variant, which poses a test to its “zero-tolerance” COVID-19 policy and its ability to successfully host the Winter Olympics. Tianjin, a port and manufacturing center with 14 […]
Omicron May Be Headed for a Rapid Drop in Britain, US
Written by MARIA CHENG and CARLA K. JOHNSON Scientists are seeing signals that COVID-19′s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S., at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically. The reason: The variant has proved so wildly contagious that it may already be running out […]
'It's Not Looking Great': OC Health Director Urges COVID Boosters Amid Omicron
COVID-19 cases are continuing to surge throughout Orange County and the state largely because of the omicron variant. Local health leaders continue to urge everyone to receive their COVID-19 vaccine and their booster shot. Studies show this helps lessen the spread of the virus and add extra layers of protection against it.
In Omicron Outbreak, US Governors Lose Appetite for Mandates
Written by JEFFREY COLLINS Governors took sweeping actions during earlier surges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many closed schools and ordered businesses shut down. They issued mask mandates, vaccine requirements and even quarantines in some places for people who had traveled to out-of-state hot spots. Not this time, even as the exponential spread of the super-contagious […]
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