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World Pancreatic Day Edition
From the Council Office of Steve Rao
November 19, 2020
ALERTS!
NC Covid-19 Cases
North Carolina new Covid 19 cases surpasses 4,000 for the first time at 4,296 new cases.
RDU International Flight
First International Flight leaves RDU since March to Cancun.
Celebrate Thanksgiving at Home
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wake County Leaders recommended today that people celebrate Thanksgiving at home, citing that more than 1 million new coronavirus infections nationwide over the last week.
WORLD PANCREATIC AWARENESS DAY
Nov 19th is WORLD PANCREATIC AWARENESS DAY
World pancreatic Cancer Day falls on the third Thursday every year, which is November 19 in 2020. 

This is a day where people around the world will unite to Demand Better in the fight against the world’s toughest cancer. The World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition has brought together more than 60 organizations from 27 countries and six continents to raise awareness and inspire action on World Pancreatic Cancer Day.

Through this combined effort, we are bringing greater attention, awareness, and better outcomes to this deadly disease.

A special thanks to my friend and colleague Liz Johnson for playing such an active role in working with the PANCAN network to help rid the world of this dreaded disease.  
 
We will be bringing her on the radio in the near future to discuss the fight to end Pancreatic Cancer. 
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Join the PANCAN Network to help create a world where all patients with Pancreatic Cancer will survive.

Their mission is to take bold action to improve the lives of everyone impacted by Pancreatic Cancer by advancing scientific research, sharing knowledge, and advocating for patients.
News Updates
County Alert System
Governor Cooper rolls out County Alert System. (See County Alert Section).
Joe Biden
President Elect Biden electoral votes will be certified in December and Trump yet to concede.  

Biden to be sworn in on Jan. 20th.
AG Josh Stein
Attorney General Stein wins re-election

Beasley and Newby head to recount.
Wake County Schools
Wake County Schools Approves Back To School Plan for Spring Semester

Eases Covid 19 Ban on Spectators for Sports. 25 for Indoor Events and 100 for Outdoor limits by Athletic Association
Covid-19 Vaccine News
Pfizer confirms that Covid 19 vaccine is 95% effective, and will seek FDA approval for Emergency use. Moderna looks promising.

Dr. Fauci says vaccines will be available by April.
City of Raleigh
City of Raleigh cancels all events through end of March.
Spotlight Leader: Raju Gadiraju, Public Sector CIO of the Year
Congratulations to Raju Gadiraju, CIO of the NC Department of Employment Security for receiving the Public Sector CIO of the year award at the North Carolina Technology Association Virtual Beacons Award for leading efforts to stand up a world class Call Center to deal with millions of unemployment claims in North Carolina.  We also congratulate NC DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen for winning the Public Leader Award. 
 
To view the NC Tech Awards winners for all categories, please visit www.nctech.org/awards tomorrow.   

Check out the Awards Banquet at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2QBRY9EJX6ixCRBzQnLMwQ and you will enjoy the videos by Penn Holderness!  
Schools News
Wake County Schools
Watch my discussion with Chris Heagarty:
Wake County School Board Approves Spring Return To School Plan
All Wake County public school students will be back in the classroom starting spring semester.

The Wake County Board of Education approved the following plan this week: 
  • Pre-kindergarten to fifth grade will remain in full-time in-person instruction
  • Middle schools will stay in three-week rotations with one week in the classroom and two weeks in remote learning
  • High schools will move from remote learning to three-week rotations

The school district will continue to have its online-only Virtual Academy for spring semester, which will help keep schools from being at full capacity.
Wake County Schools Covid 19 Measures
All schools will continue to social distance whenever possible, but K-3 classrooms are not expected to maintain six feet of space between desks or students if space does not allow. All students should continue to stay apart from other students, employees, and visitors, to maintain as much social distancing as possible. Masks are required by all students, faculty, and staff.

Did a student go home sick? All household members must also go home.

Effective immediately, if a WCPSS student or employee does not pass the health screening or if they stay home or are sent home because they are experiencing a symptom of illness, their household members must also stay home. This means that any WCPSS student or employee living in the same house must quarantine for 14 days. The household members may return sooner than 14 days if the person experiencing a symptom of illness receives confirmation of an alternate diagnosis or a negative PCR/Molecular test.

For guidelines on Social Distancing and Covid 19 Safety measures, please visit https://www.wcpss.net/.
County Alert System
Governor Cooper Rolls out Covid 19 County Alert System
This week Governor Cooper rolled out a "County Alert System" on Tuesday as coronavirus metrics continue to increase across the state.

Governor Roy Cooper made the announcement as governors and mayors across the U.S. are ratcheting up coronavirus restrictions amid the record-shattering resurgence of the virus that is all but certain to get worse because of holiday travel and family gatherings over Thanksgiving.

The governor said the state is rolling out a color-coded map to show how bad the coronavirus pandemic is in each county statewide by measuring the rate of new cases and hospitalizations.

The map will also provide actions individuals, businesses, community organizations and public officials can take to slow the spread of the virus through the combination of three metrics to categorize counties into three color tiers:
  • Yellow: Significant Community Spread
  • Orange: Substantial Community Spread
  • Red: Critical Community Spread

Because no one metric provides a complete picture, the COVID-19 County Alert System uses a combination of three metrics: case rate, the percent of tests that are positive, and hospital impact within the county.

To be assigned to the red or orange tier, a county must meet the threshold for case rate for that tier and the threshold for either percent positive OR hospital impact.
  • Case Rate: The number of new cases in 14 days per 100,000 people
  • Percent Positive: The percent of tests that are positive over 14 days

Hospital Impact: A composite score based on the impact that COVID-19 has had on hospitals including percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations, COVID-19 related visits to the Emergency Department, staffed open hospital beds, and critical staffing shortages over 14 days.

Counties that do not meet criteria for red or orange are categorized as being in the yellow tier (significant community spread) and should continue to be vigilant to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
Upcoming Events
Nov 20th - NC RioT
NOV 20th NC RIOT ACCELERATOR INFORMATION PROGRAM 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
NOV 24th Virtual Hybrid Council Meeting 6 pm.

Submit public comment for a Town Council Meeting by email to publiccomment@townofmorrisville.org. In Person Comments can be made one person at a time in Council Chambers. 
My Weekly Update:
  • For latest Covid 19 information, please dial 2-1-1 or 888- 892-1162.  
  • Get Updates by texting COVIDNC at 898211.    
  • For unemployment insurance, please visit NC Dept of Employment Security at https://des.nc.gov/.    
  • Apply for Wake Forward program at https://covid19.wakegov.com/wakeforward/. 
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 4,296 new COVID-19 cases, the second day in a row the state has reported more than 3,000 cases and the fifth day this month.

As the number of cases jumped, the number of completed tests dipped. The state reported 27,363 more completed COVID-19 tests on Tuesday. As of Monday, the percentage of positive tests spiked to 7.9%, a level the state has not hit since early August.

Currently, 1,538 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, the highest number ever reported by the state, though it is unclear if this is a record for hospitalizations due to the state's new hospital reporting system. In the last 24 hours, 364 suspected COVID-19 patients have been admitted to North Carolina hospitals, the highest number in at least a month.

In a news conference Tuesday, DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said many rural hospitals across the state are strained for capacity, particularly in the Triad region. In the region, 436 people are currently hospitalized with 29 suspected COVID-19 patients admitted in the last 24 hours. 120 adult COVID-19 patients are in the intensive care unit, about a third of the state's total. Currently, 96 intensive care unit beds and 1,562 inpatient beds are available across the

CASES:
4,296 New Cases

+ N.C. = 325,158 Cases (Deaths = 4,936)
+ 7.9 % Positive Rate
+ Wake County = 26,068 Cases (Deaths = 282)
+ US = 11.6 million Cases/250K deaths 
+ Worldwide = 55.6 million/1.34 million deaths
+ Completed Tests: 4, 769,653
+ 1,538 Hospitalizations.
Office Hours
Council Member Rao holds office hours on Friday from 12:00-1:00 PM by appointment only at 100 Town Hall Drive in Morrisville. 

For more information or to schedule a time to speak with Council Member Rao, please email SRao@TownofMorrisville.org and copy Town Clerk Eric Smith, esmith@townofmorrisville.org, 463-6150.
Council Member Steve Rao
Town of Morrisville
Dedicated to transforming Morrisville into an ideal place to work and raise a family!
Learn more at: SteveRao.com