COVID-19 In NC: State Health Officials Answer Questions Thursday

NORTH CAROLINA — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will be answering questions and discussing the state of COVID-19 in North Carolina Thursday night.

The NCDHHS calls the event a "fireside chat" and includes experts to discuss COVID-19 vaccines, boosters, testing and other hot topics pertaining to the pandemic.

It will be broadcast on all NCDHHS social media channels from 6 to 7 p.m. and include the latest data on the hospitalization surge, steps to protect yourself, when to isolate and when to quarantine and what the difference is.

People can also dial into the event by calling 855-756-7520 Ext. 76808#.

Participants include Kody H. Kinsley, NCDHHS Secretary; Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, M.D., State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer for NCDHHS; and Rasheeda T. Monroe, M.D., FAAP, Medical Director of Primary Care Pediatrics at WakeMed, Raleigh area Campus Director of the UNC School of Medicine and Director to the Kenan Urban Scholars program at the UNC School of Medicine.

To date, only 24 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 11, 47 percent of teens ages 12 to 17 and 74 percent of adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, 45 percent of North Carolinians ages 5 and older are vaccinated and have received at least one booster or additional dose.