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Jan 19 Vaccine Update Edition
From the Council Office of Steve Rao
January 19, 2021
In the U.S., 12 million doses have been administered, but 31 million have been shipped, meaning about 60% of those doses are still in freezers.

In North Carolina, roughly 303,000 shots have been administered with nearly a million doses distributed. More than 42,000 in North Carolina have gotten both doses of the vaccine.  

400,000 Deaths in US and 8,083 Covid 19 Deaths in NC
Alerts
Wake County Covid Vaccine Hotline
Wake County Covid Vaccine Hotline is now open!  

Call (919) 250-1515 to set up your appointment and go online to fill out request form! and visit https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/findyourspot

Wake County reports they've had 4,250 COVID-19 vaccination requests submitted in nearly two hours. (See Wake County Vaccine Section for more details)  
Joseph R. Biden
Joseph R. Biden to be sworn in as 46th President of the United States tomorrow at noon.   He is considering $1.9 trillion Covid 19 Funding to accelerate Vaccinations.   

Check Inaugural event coverage at www.bideninaugural.org
Kamala Harris
Morrisville Bond Referendum
Provide your input through the 2021 Bond Referendum Input Portal by Sunday, January 31

Morrisville Carpenter Road Project begins on Jan 25th!

UNC Chapel Hill and NC State students return to campuses for virtual/hybrid classes in the midst of rising Covid 19 cases. 
Tuesday Covid 19 Memorial at 5:30 pm
Tuesday Covid 19 Memorial at 5:30 pm 
Stream Live at https://bideninaugural.org/watch/ where we can light up the Lincoln Memorial and unite with the Country during these unprecedented times!  

On Tuesday, January 19, at 5:30 p.m., the Town of Morrisville will participate with other U.S. cities, towns and local governments in a COVID-19 memorial to honor lives lost to the virus.

To commemorate the occasion, Morrisville plans to leave the lights on all night inside several Town buildings including Town Hall, Connector, Public Safety Municipal Services, Fire Station No. 1 and Fire Station No. 2.

In Washington, D.C., a ceremony will feature lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Several methods of support have been mentioned for residents and organizations to observe the event, including illuminating porch lights on Tuesday, at 5:30 p.m., and ringing of bells for houses of worship. 

We pray for all families who have lost loved ones during this pandemic. 
Important Updates:
Wake County Schools News
Wake County School Leaders meeting at 2:30 pm to get briefing from Health Leaders on safety in the schools, and how safe it is to return to school in Feb.  

Live Stream at www.wral.com!
Town of Morrisville names Servant Award Leaders Winners!  Congrats to Lindsay Holcombe and Sister Nayla Mohanaddi.  (See Servant Award Leaders Section) 
Join other US Cities at 5:30 pm for the Covid 19 Memorial to honor all of those who have lost their lives to this deadly virus.  (See Covid 19 Memorial Section) 
DC Court of Appeals
DC Court of Appeals strikes down Trump Administration's 2019 repeal of the Clean Power Plan. It would have allowed more greenhouse gas emissions from electric power plants.

Thanks to Attorney General Stein for joining this coalition.
Town of Morrisville Servant Award Leaders
Town of Morrisville Names Servant Award Leaders
Lindsay Holcombe 

Lindsay is being recognized as a service leader in Morrisville for her resilience and support of the community during the pandemic. When the pandemic hit Lindsay lost her job at a local Morrisville restaurant. She decided to make the best of her situation by starting her own company, If You Had Wings, Inc. Through her new company, Lindsay builds and “sells” birdhouses for a donation. Each month Lindsay donates her profits to a local community non-profit organization.

Sister Nayla Al-Mohannadi 

Sister Al-Mohannadi is being recognized for her outstanding service as a leader over the past few years through her activities to diversify the face and participation at the Islamic Center of Morrisville, especially for Muslim women and youth in local activities, outreach, business, and charity. The growth of this center and its inclusivity as a diverse group, especially women and youth, is due to Sister Al-Mohannadi 's dedication to our community over the past few years. 
We also honor the following Morrisville residents, who through Western Region Food Security, are instrumental in the distribution of food to those in need in the greater Morrisville region:
  • Savannah and Nayte Click and family
  • Dale Cowley and his family
  • Darshanna and Ajit Dixit
  • Manoj Pandya

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
URGENT COVID 19 VACCINATION INFORMATION
Wake County COVID 19 VACCINATION Line Open Today
Starting today on Jan 19 at 8:30 am, if you are 65 or older, you can call the Wake County Vaccine Line at (919) 250-1515 or use the on line form.  You can fill out the wait list and you will be texted when vaccine is available after you fill out the on-line form. https://covid19.wakegov.com/wake-county-public-health-vaccine-request-form/  

Durham County:  Call hotline at 919-635-8150 or email us at DCoCOVIDvaccines@dconc.gov.
NC DHHS TO HOST MASS VACCINATION EVENTS
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with health systems, local health departments and community health centers across the state to host large community vaccine events for people currently eligible to be vaccinated. More than 45,000 vaccines are expected to be given through these events.

“The state will continue to support our local health departments and hospitals to get shots in arms faster,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “These partners were selected because they were able to rapidly increase the number of vaccines they could deliver as part of this effort.”

Partners were selected based on their ability to administer a large number of vaccine doses or to provide access to vaccine doses to marginalized communities. NC Emergency Management and the National Guard are also providing support in some locations. Vaccine events will be held in the following counties:  
  • Bertie County: Bertie County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Buncombe County: Buncombe County Health Department in partnership with Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Western Carolina Medical Society 
  • Cabarrus County: Atrium Health
  • Camden County: Camden County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Chatham County: UNC Health 
  • Chowan County: Chowan County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Currituck County: Currituck County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Durham County: Duke Health 
  • Forsyth County: Forsyth County Department of Public Health 
  • Gates County: Gates County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Guilford County: Cone Health 
  • Henderson County: Blue Ridge Community Health Services, Henderson County Department of Public Health, Mountain Area Health Education Center, Pardee Hospital (UNC Health)
  • Hertford County: Hertford County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Johnston County: UNC Health 
  • Madison County: Hot Springs Health Center, Madison County Health Department, Mountain Area Health Education Center 
  • Mecklenburg County: Atrium Health 
  • Orange County: UNC Health 
  • Pasquotank County: Pasquotank County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Perquimans County: Perquimans County Health Department (Albemarle Regional Health Services)
  • Pitt County: Vidant Health 
  • Wake County: UNC REX Healthcare, Duke Raleigh Hospital, and WakeMed in partnership with community-based physician practices, Advance Community Health, NeighborHealth and others

Some locations are providing the vaccine by appointment only. To learn more about the events, visit the websites of the providers listed above. Their websites can be found, listed by county, at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/findyourspot.   
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thanks to everyone who came out to our Fireside Chat on the King Legacy with Floyd McKissick!
JAN 26th - 6pm Virtual Town Council Meeting
JAN 26th Virtual Town Council Meeting 6 pm   Stream Live at https://www.facebook.com/TownOfMorrisville/.  

Email comments to publicomments@townofmorrisville.org by 3 pm!
Jan 26th NC RIOT
Jan 26th NC RIOT Competitive Edge: How Edge Computing Takes Business to the Next Level!   

NC Tech Association
NC Tech Association 2021 Virtual Outlook for Tech Event 8:45 am to 12: 45 pm 

Radio / TV
Radio Mirchi
Join me Sunday 4 PM on Radio Mirchi for another update on local issues.

99.9FM HD4, 101.9 FM and 1490 AM!
IBM TV
Join me Monday at 10 am on International Broadcast Media TV for a global for World Edition, an update on global politics.

My Weekly Update:
NC Covid Dashboard:

Wake County Covid 19 Test Sites: https://covid19.wakegov.com/testing/
  • 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/.    
  • 1,413,690 NC citizens have applied for UI Benefits, 948,626 have been paid benefits, and $9.3 billion of benefits have been issued.  Appeals of denied jobless benefits are taking many months.  
  • Apply for Wake Forward program at https://covid19.wakegov.com/wakeforward/

For Covid 19 Testing Sites in Wake County, please visit http://www.wakegov.com/covidvaxandtest/Pages/default.aspx.  

This week, more than 10,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are scheduled to be administered to people 65 and older across UNC Health's 15 vaccination clinics.

The amount of COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina has risen to 3,881, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' report on Tuesday. There were 94% of hospitals in the state that reported data.

There were 4,058 newly-reported cases, one of the lowest figures in recent weeks likely due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. According to the latest data, 11.8% of tests are positive, an increase from the 10% reported Sunday.

More than 100 new deaths were logged, bringing the total since March to 8,139. There have been 684,497 total cases in North Carolina.

There was no report on Monday due to the holiday.

CASES:
4,058 Newly reported Cases   
+ N.C. = 684,497 Cases (Deaths = 8139)
+ 11.8 %Positive Rate
+ Wake County = 57,360 Cases (Deaths = 396)
+ Durham County = 17,626 Cases (Deaths = 157)
+ Orange County = 6,079 Cases (Deaths = 69)
+ US = 24.1 million Cases/399K deaths
+ Worldwide = 95.4 million/2.04 million deaths
+ Completed Tests: 8,120
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