26 NC counties are under alert, including Cumberland, Chatham, Sampson, and Hoke counties.

We’re also tracking how long severe weather risks last, a live look at the roads in the WRAL Storm Tracker and why dozens of child care centers plan to close Thursday. Watch WRAL-TV at 7 p.m., and search for these and other stories on WRAL.com.

On WRAL at 7: New images of school bus crash with children on board. What we’re learning about the crash

The first store will open Thursday in Kill Devil Hills, with additional outlets planned for Rocky Mount, Elizabeth City, Greenville, Wilson and Goldsboro by the end of 2024.

Wawa in NC: 10 stores by end of 2024; 🥨 90 stores in 10 years

Wawa

As the number of juvenile offenders climbs, the state is looking at alternatives crowded detention centers to make sure young people already convicted of crimes can turn their lives around. 

Education, skills and rehab focus easing burden on NC juvenile justice system

Inside the juvenile justice system

All assets associated with the tag: blood clot

Blood clot Coverage

The study, conducted by the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, shows Johnson & Johnson's 
vaccine is 3.7 times more likely to cause specific cerebral blood clots.

Study: Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine 4X more likely to cause blood clots 

FDA Expected to Clear First Coronavirus Vaccine for Young Children

The risk of dying from Covid-19 is 40 times the risk of developing a rare blood clotting condition after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a CNN analysis shows.

Risk of dying from Covid-19 40 times the risk of rare blood clot after receiving J&J vaccine

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration lifted the pause on the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine on Friday. The agencies previously had decided to pause administration of the vaccine due to cases of an extremely rare blood clotting disorder found in six women between the ages of 18 and 49 who had gotten the shot.

What women should know about the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine

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Six women vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine have experienced a rare and dangerous blood clot. Experts say there's a difference between the complication and other common blood clots. 

Health experts: Blood clots from J&J vaccine and birth control are very different 

Experts explain differences between Johnson & Johnson blood clot complication and other common blood clots

Data show serious side-effects from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are extremely rare: 6.7 million doses have been administered, the six women are the only cases reported so far.

WE GET WHEN THE SYSTEM PASSES. >>> WE ARE BACK WITH A LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN NORTH CAROLINA THAT HAVE BEEN VACCINATED SO FAR. 30.9% OF ADULTS IN THE STATE HAVE BEEN FULLY VACCINATED. 41.5% HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY VACCINATED. >>> THE PAUSE OF THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON COVID VACCINE IS RAISING QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS ABOUT THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET BEEN VACCINATED. WHAT IS A REAL RISK? >> WRAL INVESTIGATE  SEARCHED THROUGH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VACCINE REACTIONS RECORDS TO PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE. JOE FISHER IS LIVE WITH THAT STORY. >> Reporter: HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA, ABOUT 250,000 PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN THE J&J SHOT WITH NO TIES TO THIS SERIOUS INCIDENT AND SEVERE BLOOD CLOTS BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE CDC. STILL, STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE PAUSING THE USE OF J&J UNTIL MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE. >> I AM NOT 100% SURPRISED. IN FACT, I THINK IT IS A WISE AND PRUDENT THING TO DO. >> Reporter: THIS EPIDEMIOLOGIST SAID THE PAUSE NOW IS A GOOD CHOICE SO WE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WOMEN WITH THE RARE CLOTTING CONDITION. >> IT REALLY PROVIDES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK FURTHER AT THOSE CASES AND EXAMINE THEIR MEDICAL HISTORY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE CAUSED THOSE EVENTS. >> Reporter: WE STILL DON'T KNOW IF THE J&J VACCINE PLAYED A ROLE IN SIX WOMEN WHO WERE DIAGNOSED WITH CEREBRAL VENOUS SINUS VERSUS, ALSO KNOWN AS CBS- TV, IN COMBINATION WITH LOW PLATELET LEVELS. THE NUMBERS SHOW THE CASES ARE RARE, SIX REPORTED WITH 6.8 MILLION DOSES OF J&J ADMINISTERED. THAT IS LESS THAN A 1 IN A 1 MILLION CHANCE OF HAVING A SERIOUS SIDE EFFECT. >> IF THIS IS SO RARE, WHY WOULD THE CDC AND FDA PUT A PAUSE ON THE VACCINE ALTOGETHER? >> IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND CAUSE MORE FATAL OR CRITICAL EVENTS OR SIDE EFFECTS LIKE THIS. >> Reporter: THIS DOCTOR SPECIALIZES IN VASCULAR MEDICINE AND SAID THE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE SEVERE HEADACHE, ABDOMINAL PAIN, LEG PAIN AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH. >> IT IS SOMETHING THAT THE PATIENT NEEDS TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. >> Reporter: ALL OF THE CURRENT COVID VACCINES HAVE SHOWN LESS SERIOUS CLOTTING REACTIONS BUT AGAIN, THE CHANCES ARE SMALL. NATIONALLY, PFIZER HAS REPORTED 147 INCIDENCES OF THROMBOSIS. MODERNA 100 AND J&J 14. IN NORTH CAROLINA, THERE HAS BEEN ONLY SIX CLOTTING INCIDENCES. WHEN YOU FACTOR IN THE DOSES ADMINISTERS, THE SCRIPT FLIPS. J&J HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF CLOTTING REACTIONS PER 100,000 DOSES AT 20. PFIZER IS NEXT WITH 15, FOLLOWED BY MODERNA WITH 12. EXPERTS STILL SAY ANY SHOT IS BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVE. >> WHEN YOU ARE A 55-YEAR-OLD PERSON, YOUR RISK OF DYING FROM COVID-19 IS MUCH, MUCH, MUCH HIGHER THAN AN ADVERSE REACTION TO THE VACCINE ITSELF. >> Reporter: DR. McDONALD POINTS OUT AGAIN, THIS IS BEING

Serious side-effects from coronavirus vaccines very rare, records show

Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Expert: Risk of blood clots from vaccine much less than from COVID without it

A cascading number of European countries -- including Germany, France, Italy and Spain -- suspended use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Monday over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, though the company and international regulators say there is no evidence the shot is to blame.

Major European nations suspend use of AstraZeneca vaccine

Seven other European nations have suspended its use as well over reports that some people have developed blood clots after being vaccinated.

Additional countries suspend use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine over blood clot concerns 

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Doctors are reporting an uptick in a surprising coronavirus complication -- dangerous blood clots. It's killing patients in some cases.

WE TALK TO A  HOME WILLING >>> GOOD MORNING, DOCTOR. SO WHEN I READ THIS REPORT IN THE "WASHINGTON POST," I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I WAS SEEING. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS AND CAN YOU TELL US WHY THIS IS HAPPENING? >> SO WE HAVE SEEN THIS. THIS IS A NEW PROCESS. WE'RE NOT COMPLETELY SURE OF THE MECHANISM FOR DEVELOPING THIS. I WOULD EMPHASIZE WHERE WE'RE REALLY SEEING IT IS IN THE PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 THAT ARE ICU SETTING PRIMARILY. WE'RE NOT SEEING IN THE PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 THAT ARE AT HOME. WE DON'T SEE IN THE MORE STABLE HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS. BUT IT IS FOR THE PATIENTS IN THE ICU THAT SEEM TO HAVE THE INCREASED RISK FOR DEVELOPING BLOOD CLOTS. THE NUMBERS COMING OUT IN THE VERY, VERY EARLY DATA, THE NUMBERS ARE COMING AT 20 TO 30% OF PARENTS IN THE ICU, MIGHT HAVE SOME TYPE OF BLOOD CLOT. >> IN THAT "WASHINGTON POST" REPORT, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE AUTOPSIES WHERE THE DOCTORS WERE EXPECTING TO SEE PNEUMONIA AND INSTEAD FOUND TINY BLOOD CLOTTING IN THE LUNGS. IS THIS STILL A RESPIRATORY VIRUS THEN? >> IT IS STILL A RESPIRATORY PROCESS. BUT IT IS A COMPLICATION THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. AND CERTAIN VIRAL ILLNESSES HAVE BEEN COMPLICATIONS OF CLOTTING OVER THE YEARS. WE HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE. BUT THIS SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT PRESENTATION THAN WHAT WE HAVE AND NOT ALWAYS THE CLASSICAL PRESENTATION OF A BLOOD CLOT THAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT TO SEE. SO THERE ARE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF IN THAT MAKE IT SAY LITTLE DIFFERENT. >> ARE YOU FINDING OUT THIS WHEN PEOPLE ARE LIVING OR LATER? >> WHAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW TO PUT THIS IN SOME PERSPECTIVE, WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT ALL THE PATIENTS BE PUT ON A BLOOD THINNER, IF YOU WILL. WHEN PATIENTS ARE SUSPECTED OF HAVING A BLOOD CLOT  --  AND THERE IS A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN. WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT THEY BE SCREENED WITH THE STUDY. ADMITTEDLY WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO MINIMIZE EXPOSURE OF RADIOLOGY TECHNOLOGISTS TO PATIENTS INFECTED. SO IN SOME CASES, WE'RE DOING IT ON CLINICAL SUSPICION ALONE FROM THOSE. SO WE ARE TRYING TO IDENTIFY AND INTERVENE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. IF THERE IS CLINICAL SUSPICION. IS RECOMMENDED THAT THEY GO TO A THERAPEUTIC DOSE. >> FINAL QUESTION FOR YOU. YOU TOLD ME THAT THIS IS REALLY DEVELOPING BY THE HOUR, WHICH I FOUND FASCINATING. CAN ANYONE DEVELOP THESE BLOOD CLOTS OR CERTAIN PEOPLE MORE AT RISK. >> Reporter: THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION. WE DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW IF CERTAIN PATIENTS ARE MORE AT RISK AT BASELINE. WE KNOW THERE ARE CERTAIN LABORATORY TESTS AND CLINICAL MANIFESTATION IF THE PATIENT IS GETTING WORSE, THEY ARE MORE LIKELY GOING TO FALL INTO THE CATEGORY THAT WOULD HAVE A HIGHER RISK. BUT A PRIORITY, IF SOMEBODY WHAT A PRIOR BLOOD CLOT YEARS AGO. WE DON'T KNOW IF THAT PERSON IS MORE AT RISK NOW. WE DOWN NOTE IF A PERSON ON BLOOD  THINNER IS LESS AT RISK. >> WHAT A DEADLY COMPLICATION. IF YOU LEARN ANYTHING NEW, WE HOPE YOU'LL COME ON. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

New deadly mystery surrounds coronavirus

UNC Chapel Hill has a long relationship with NASA. So when an astronaut on board the International Space Station needed some medical attention, guess who the space program consulted.

UNC doctor helps ISS astronaut who was suffering from blood clots

Stephan Moll, MD, UNC School of Medicine

WRAL's Bryan Mims has the unique story of a UNC doctor who got a unique call from NASA seeking his knowledge with an astronaut who was suffering from blood clots.

UNC doctor helps NASA with astronaut suffering from blood clot

A Michigan woman had a medical emergency that seemingly came out of the blue.