The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Jan. 20 from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss COVID-19 vaccines, boosters, testing and more.
Key topics include:
- The recent surge in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations
- Steps to protect yourself and your household by masking, testing and more
- New guidance on vaccines and boosters for kids ages 5 to 11, teens and adults
- When to isolate or quarantine, and how the two differ
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.
The fireside chat will livestream from the NCDHHS social media accounts and will also include a tele-town hall feature. Households will be invited by phone to listen in and submit questions to help ensure everyone who is interested can participate. People can also dial into the event by calling 855-756-7520 Ext. 76808#.
This event comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its recommendations for boosters for kids and adults, as well as its guidance on when to isolate and quarantine. Boosters are now recommended for children ages 12 to 15, and the wait time for boosters for anyone who received Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations has been reduced from 6 months to 5 months.
To date, only 24% of children between the ages of 5 and 11, 47% of teens ages 12 to 17 and 74% of adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, 45% of North Carolinians ages 5 and older are vaccinated and have received at least one booster or additional dose.
NCDHHS fireside chats and tele-town halls are part of the state’s ongoing public engagement to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure equitable access to timely information, resources and COVID-19 vaccines.
The NCDHHS social media platforms will host the livestream: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
To access the fireside chat, click on one of the links provided above at 6 p.m. on Jan. 20.