Cooper says North Carolina moving to next phase of pandemic: Friday, March 18

Gov. Roy Cooper said North Carolina is now entering the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, as hospitalizations and daily cases continue to drop statewide.

"We can look forward with the belief that the worst is behind us," Cooper said. "As we look ahead, it's important to take stock of how far we've come."

Cooper praised North Carolina's response during the pandemic, all the way back to the first cases of COVID-19 in early 2020. Cooper said state leaders took action to keep the economy going and get children back in schools.

"We came together, took strong action, protected people's health and worked to prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed," Cooper said. "We focused not only on saving lives, but livelihoods."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/roy-cooper-north-carolina-covid-response-next-phase-pandemic-omicron/275-be441f09-b9e1-4338-a694-c3d1266534ba

Drugmaker Moderna asked the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to authorize a fourth shot of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for all adults.

The request is broader than rival pharmaceutical company Pfizer's request earlier this week for the regulator to approve a booster shot for all seniors.

In a press release, the company said its request for approval for all adults was made “to provide flexibility” to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical providers to determine the “appropriate use” of a second booster dose of the mRNA vaccine, “including for those at higher risk of COVID-19 due to age or comorbidities."

U.S. officials have been laying the groundwork to deliver additional booster doses to shore up the vaccines' protection against serious disease and death from COVID-19. The White House has been sounding the alarm that it needs Congress to “urgently” approve more funding for the federal government to secure more doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, either for additional booster shots or variant-specific immunizations.

U.S. health officials currently recommend a primary series of two doses of the Moderna vaccine and a booster dose months later.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/moderna-4th-dose-covid-shot-seeks-fda-authorization/507-5440ba0b-9136-4f09-bed3-a4357e04d74e

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