N.C. changing COVID-19 response as infections drop

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Three years ago this month, COVID-19 shut down the country, bringing everything to a standstill.

Now, the response is transitioning and people will start seeing changes in North Carolina.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will end its remaining community testing sites on March 31. Home testing kits will still be available through the federal program and can be ordered through the United States Postal Service.

Another big change is COVID-19 vaccination data will only be updated monthly. State health officials said over time they have noticed numbers are not changing rapidly, and it will retire on May 31.

Vaccination data will continue to be available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after this time, a news release stated.

Additionally, as COVID-19 vaccines become part of routine care, and in anticipation of them transitioning from state and federal distribution to the commercial market, NCDHHS is transitioning back to routine immunization reporting, officials said.

Vaccine records will be available online until June 1. After that, those vaccinated in N.C. will need to get vaccine records from their provider or pharmacy or local health department, according to the NCDHHS.

“While we continue to see illness and deaths from COVID-19, it is no longer the threat it once was thanks to testing, vaccines and treatment,” Susan Kansagra, M.D., director of NCDHHS Division of Public Health, said.

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