Updated December 30, 2020 7:56 p.m. EST
By Lora Lavigne, WRAL Durham reporter
Durham, N.C. Hospital beds across North Carolina are filling up with coronavirus patients. Health care facilities are concerned about having to ration care in the next couple weeks as hospitalizations surge.
The Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, on Fulton Street across from the Duke University Hospital, is expanding its COVID-19 ward to be able relieve the burden from other facilities in the area. Remember, we re taking care of people without COVID, and on top of that, have to deal with COVID-19. So, it really does stretch, especially some of these smaller hospitals, UNC Health infectious disease exprt Dr. David Wohl said.
Submitted by BlueNC on
Tue, 12/29/2020 - 09:27
NC S UNEMPLOYED WILL SEE DELAY IN NEWLY EXTENDED BENEFITS: State and federal officials started that conversation Monday as the federal government worked up the fine print on a $900 billion coronavirus stimulus bill that President Donald Trump signed into law Sunday. His signature, delayed several days as the president threatened a veto, came a day after previous federal unemployment extensions expired. Now comes a rollout for the new program, then people get their 11-week extensions and the $300-a-week boost included in the bill. The N.C. Division of Employment Security is reviewing the new unemployment provisions of the federal COVID-19 relief bill and preparing to reprogram its system to process claims for the additional benefits, agency spokeswoman Kerry McComber said via email. These benefits cannot be paid until official guidance is received and the benefits system is reprogrammed. The division told claimants earlier on Monda