Missed yesterday’s Wake County Board of Commissioners meeting? The agenda included recognizing retirees, a public hearing for a new non-emergency ambulance franchise, affordable housing and an update on COVID-19. Here are the highlights:
To begin, in honor of Black History Month, Commissioner Dr. James West read a portion of James Weldon Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and asked for divine guidance in helping the board work to undo racism.
Next, County Manager David Ellis recognized four Team Wake employees retiring with more than 115 years of combined service. Three served in the Health & Human Services Department – Sherry Denning, Dr. Andrea Newman and Nancy Smith – and Timothy Wall served in the General Services Administration.
Following a public hearing that drew no comment, the board passed the first reading of MedEX Medical Transport's request to operate a non-emergency ambulance service for 5 yrs. The item goes on the March 9 consent agenda for final approval. Wake collected a $2,392 application fee.
The board also voted to acknowledge a list of 15 appointees who will begin work as the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. Staff selected them from 124 applicants. The board also created a new seat for a legislative liaison. A seat for a law enforcement representative remains open.
In an update on COVID-19, Dr. Nicole Mushonga said that, starting Monday, N.C. stopped requiring K-12 students to stay home from school and undergo contact tracing if they're exposed to the virus but don't show any symptoms. Kids with symptoms will continue to need to stay home, said Mushonga, Wake County associate medical director and epidemiology program director.
Positive COVID-19 cases skyrocketed in Wake County following the emergence of the Omicron variant. In the past weeks, they have started to drop off quickly as well.
Wake residents ages 12+ have done an outstanding job of getting at least one dose – and more than 85% are fully vaccinated. But, only about half of eligible people have gotten boosted, which is critical for maintaining protection from COVID-19. Sign up at wakegov.com/vaccine!
Demand for COVID-19 testing has dropped since the Omicron peak in January. Demand also spiked around September during the Delta wave. Wake County is continually assessing the best way to serve residents as the pandemic evolves.
Want to dig deeper? You can watch a full recording of the meeting at bit.ly/3hbP5kE (the video starts at the 31:30 mark.)
