Missed the Tuesday, Jan. 18 Wake County Board of Commissioners meeting? Here are the highlights:
The board got an update on #COVID19 in Wake County from Dr. Nicole Mushonga of our Public Health team. January 2022, so far, shows the highest number of cases yet of the virus, but, overall, they have been less severe. The community is doing a great job getting vaccinated, she said. More than 90% of adults in Wake County have gotten at least one dose! We need to continue staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines – the initial series and boosters, Dr. Mushonga said.
Wake County’s current positivity rate for COVID-19 is 25.1%. That’s more than FIVE TIMES higher than where we would like the rate to be, she said. We moved to an appointment-based COVID-19 testing model on Dec. 1. Since then, we've collected 241,426 samples at our five locations. Our daily testing capacity is 13,176 appointments. Providing this service is a huge lift, and we thank the teams in the field who make it possible.
Need an at-home COVID-19 test kit? The federal government just launched a new website – covidtests.gov – where residents can request up to four free at-home tests. You should receive them in less than two weeks.
Next, the commissioners voted to approve spending $845,000 in parks bonds and N.C. DOT I-540 settlement funds to purchase an 80-acre conservation easement off Buck Road in Wendell. The land will be preserved as open space for the community to enjoy.
The board voted to execute a funding agreement with the Town of Fuquay-Varina and the Wake County Public School System for $250,000 to add recreational amenities beyond what the school system would provide to the future Hilltop-Needmore Elementary School site. Possibilities include picnic shelters, trails and playgrounds, which would be open to the community.
Finally, the commissioners welcomed Danya Perry to his first board meeting in his new role as our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director. We’re so excited to have him on #TeamWake, and we look forward to the great places he will take us!
Want to dig deeper? You can watch a full recording of the meeting at bit.ly/3rxGDRJ (the video starts at the 48:55 mark.)
