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Raleigh -- March 17, 2022 - Today, NC Governor Roy Cooper outlined steps for North Carolina to move forward after
COVID-19. Cooper was joined by Kody Kinsley, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), who described the Department's strategy for adapting to this new stage. North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders spoke at the event to emphasize the state's long-term economic development strategy.
“We have worked hard to get here. With a robust toolset, we are prepared now as individuals and as a state in ways we could have not been two years ago or even two months ago.” Secretary Kinsley said. “As we move forward together, we will continue to ensure every North Carolinian has access to the tools and information they need to protect themselves and others.”
NCDHHS is modifying its response for the current stage of the pandemic, as indicated in Moving Forward Together, with vaccines, testing, treatment, and other resources readily available (Spanish). The strategy is based on four guiding principles:
Empowering individuals to make informed decisions for their individual lives in returning to normal routines
Maintaining health system capacity by continuing to coordinate with the state’s health care community
Collaborating with local partners to support resilience and speed recovery
Prioritizing equity in access to information and tools needed to protect against COVID-19.
North Carolina's per capita death rate was among the lowest in the southeast and among the lowest in the country, and statewide hospital capacity has never exceeded 91 percent.As North Carolina advances into the next phase of its response, the set of important criteria that will guide it will alter to reflect the most recent science and fit the present need.
Starting March 23, the NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard's summary page will be updated weekly on Wednesdays with the following seven indicators:
Surveillance of wastewater
Covid-like illnesses
Cases
Booster Rates
Prevalence of variants
CDC's COVID-19 community-level metric
“The COVID-19 virus will be with us for the foreseeable future, and we will need to learn to live with the virus,” said Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, NCDHHS Chief Medical Officer and State Health Director. “I encourage you to speak with your trusted health care provider as you consider your own risk and the actions you can take now and in the future.”
“Despite the pandemic, North Carolina continues to attract major investments and expand homegrown companies,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders. “As the last two years have taught us, conditions can change rapidly and our businesses, workforce and communities must be skilled enough to adapt and grow. We are implementing the First in Talent strategic economic development plan because CEOs’ number one question is always about our workforce and we can’t rely solely on what made us successful in the past.”
Secretary of Commerce Machelle Sanders delivered a high-level assessment of North Carolina's sustained economic performance and outlined the state's First in Talent Strategic Economic Development Plan. State economists announced earlier this week that the state's employment and GDP have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
North Carolinians will be better equipped to compete in a competitive marketplace, and businesses will have the skills they need to prosper, according to the First in Talent plan.
The First in Talent plan proposes innovative strategies to ensure that North Carolinians are equipped to compete in a dynamic marketplace, and businesses have the talent they need to thrive.
The comprehensive four-year plan identifies three key goals critical to the state’s economic development strategy:
Prepare North Carolina’s workforce for career and entrepreneurial success.
Prepare North Carolina’s businesses for success by growing and attracting a talented workforce.
Prepare communities across North Carolina to be more competitive in growing and attracting a talented workforce and businesses.
Wnctimes by Marjorie Farrington
