Local communities with high senior populations worry about vaccine plan
As North Carolina plans to soon begin the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, some communities are worried about a shortage in supply and the ability to administer enough doses to their larger-than-average senior populations.
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that vaccines will be open to Group 3, beginning with anyone working in child care or in pre-k-12 schools, on Feb. 24.
Henderson County Health Director Steve Smith voiced concerns Tuesday at a Board of Health meeting that the state would open vaccinations up to Group 3 too soon. The governor made his announcement the following day.
COVID-19 figures beginning to trend downward in Henderson County
After months of growing COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases and deaths, trends seem to be pointing downward in Henderson County. This comes as county health officials continue an aggressive vaccination campaign.
Health Director Steve Smith detailed the changing tide Tuesday to the Board of Health. The peak in cases was likely in January, and most jurisdictions are now reporting reductions in cases and hospitalizations.
“We’re in a rebound period,” Smith said. Daily new cases rate per 100,000 residents is declining, he said, and he expects that trend to continue.
Henderson County’s rate of daily new cases per 100,000 residents for the last 14 days was 726 on Tuesday. At the beginning of February, that number was near 800, and around 850 at the end of January.
Hendersonville’s Seventh Avenue district will soon be the home of Brevard Hemp’s third and newest location.
The plan is to have a grand opening on March 1, according to Chief Executive Officer Catherine Artzt. The store is at 514 Seventh Ave., near White Duck Taco Shop.
Brevard Hemp opened its first location in early 2019 and sells a variety of natural CBD products. CBD, or cannabidiol, is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in hemp (Cannabis sativa) and has grown significantly in popularity over the years for its range of uses.
Artzt said there were many reasons Hendersonville stood out when deciding where to expand the business.
Snow totals: Henderson, Transylvania get most snow in region overnight
Hendersonville Times-News
UPDATE: Snow totals varied across the region overnight, with Henderson and Transylvania counties hit with the most snowfall.
Southern Henderson County saw up to 5 inches, while the northwest area of the county saw only about 2 inches, said NWS Meteorologist Jeffrey Taylor. Transylvania County also had a range of 2-5 inches.
The city of Asheville had about 2 inches of snow, with Buncombe s totals ranging from 1.5-3.5 inches, Taylor said. Snow covered the region down to I-85 in South Carolina.
No additional accumulation is expected over the next seven days, Taylor said.