RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Here are the latest updates about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in North Carolina.

10 a.m.
More than 80,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are expected to arrive in North Carolina this week, beginning on Wednesday.

“A third COVID-19 vaccine means North Carolina can get more people vaccinated sooner, which will save lives and slow the spread,” said North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D.

7 a.m.
Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky appeared on Good Morning America on Monday.

He said the company wants to get the shots in arms within the next 48 hours. Distribution started Monday morning.

The US is about to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Here’s how it’s different from the others

He said the company will have 100 million doses by June and they anticipate delivering 20 million doses by the end of March.

“Consistent with Dr. Fauci and Dr. Jha, everyone should get the first shot they can get, all these vaccines are incredibly effective,” Gorsky said. “It’s important to remember about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is we did the clinical trials roughly from October of 2020 to January of this year and it was really during the peak of the incidence rate of this virus, that’s number one. Number two, we did it in a broad number of countries, in fact, about 40% of the patients in the trial were in Latin America, we had about another 15% in South Africa, in South Africa over 90% of those patients were infected with the South African strain. And so what you’re seeing are really strong efficacy rate, 85% of the time with severe disease we kept all the patients out of the hospital. We kept all the patients from dying. And, again, this is with a single dose against some of the most difficult strains during the most challenging times of this pandemic. That’s why it’s going to be so important to add this vaccine to what’s available out there today.”

4:30 a.m.

Nearly 4 million doses of the newest COVID-19 vaccine are being delivered to U.S. states for injections starting on Tuesday.

The White House said the entire stockpile of the newly approved single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will go out immediately. J&J will deliver about 16 million more doses by the end of March and 100 million total by the end of June, but the distribution would be backloaded.

Though the new shot is easier to administer and requires only one dose, the administration is not altering its distribution plans.

The White House is encouraging Americans to take the first dose available to them, regardless of manufacturer.

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted overwhelmingly Sunday to recommend the vaccine for adults 18 years old and up. It adds to the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that were authorized in December.

MONDAY MORNING HEADLINES

Wake County is slated to receive 5,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as early as this week following emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday. UNC Health expects to receive 4,100 Johnson & Johnson doses

This week, some Johnston County students are heading back to the classroom more often — four days a week. This Plan A applies for pre-k through fifth grade students. Wednesdays will be asynchronous days to left staff clean the schools. All other students will stay on Plan B.

Sunday’s NC State basketball game against Pittsburgh welcomed fans back to PNC Arena for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Governor Cooper’s latest executive order allows arenas like PNC to operate at 15% of their capacity.

SUNDAY

7:30 p.m.
A joint statement from the president of Duke University Hospital and senior vice president of Duke University Health System said it is preparing to expand its vaccination clinics to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — at this time they are unaware wen they will receive its allocation.

7 p.m.
UNC Health expects to receive 4,100 Johnson & Johnson doses this week, 3,600 of which will go to UNC’s largest vaccination clinic, the Friday Center.

Since the clinic opened on Jan. 11, UNC officials said it has administered more than 32,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

This week, UNC Health officials expect to pass 200,000 total doses given.

4:50 p.m.
Wake County is slated to receive 5,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as early as this week following emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday.

County health officials are already working with various communities to distribute doses once they arrive.

9:40 a.m.
Cape Fear Valley Health’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics are now open to frontline essential workers, including all of Group 3.

Due to high turnout of local childcare school workers combined with decreasing demand in other eligible groups, Cape Fear Valley Health is moving forward with the next phase, ahead of schedule.

“This is a very broad category that includes most workers, if they are working in-person with others or the public,” said Chris Tart, PharmD, Vice President of Professional Services at Cape Fear Valley Health. “If you’re not sure whether your job fits in this category, we encourage you to go online to www.capefearvalley.com/covid19 to schedule your vaccination and find what group you fit in.”

NCDHHS defines “frontline essential workers” as people who must be in-person at their place of work and work in one of the eight essential sectors including: education, critical manufacturing, essential goods, food and agriculture, government and community Services, health care and public health, public safety and transportation. Any frontline essential workers ages 18 and older are now eligible as part of Group 3 to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from one of Cape Fear Valley Health’s vaccination clinics, in addition to individuals in Groups 1 and 2 – healthcare and long-term care workers and anyone aged 65 and older.

7:20 a.m.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there have been 28,554,724 COVID-19 cases in the United States since the pandemic began.

SATURDAY
6:15 p.m.
The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two.

FDA advisers sign off on Johnson & Johnson vaccine: Here’s what happens next

12:05 p.m.
North Carolina is reporting 2,643 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 858,548.

There have been 26 deaths due to the virus, bringing the total of deaths to 11,212.

Throughout the state, there are 1,414 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. That is 51 down from Friday,

The state’s percent positive test rate 5.4%, which is up slightly from Friday’s 4.7%.

There will be no NCDHHS COVID-19 dashboard update on Sunday, Feb. 28.

7:25 a.m.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 28,486,562 COVID-19 cases throughout the United States.

Fauci warns progress in COVID fight appears to have stalled

Overnight, the House approved a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill that was championed by President Joe Biden, the first step in providing another dose of aid to a weary nation as the measure now moves to a tense Senate.

The overall relief bill would provide $1,400 payments to individuals, extend emergency unemployment benefits through August and increase tax credits for children and federal subsidies for health insurance.