Mandy Cohen Coverage

State officials release new guidelines for who can be tested for coronavirus
State officials want to test more people for coronavirus and are advising a list of people who should be tested to do so.

State issues new guidelines to do more coronavirus testing
WRAL's Julian Grace spoke with Dr. Mandy Cohen about the new state guidelines for increased coronavirus testing and how it impacts essential workers.

CBC OPINION
Editorial: A mask is not a political statement
Friday, May 15, 2020 -- There are some members of the General Assembly who want to make a political statement by NOT wearing protective masks. A mask is NOT a political statement. If there is any statement, it is one of common decency. Wearing it says we care about the health of our friends, co-workers and even strangers we happen to come in contact with.

CBC OPINION
ERIN BROMAGE: Virus spread. The risks - know them - avoid them
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 -- An epidemic curve has a relatively predictable upslope and once the peak is reached, the back slope can also be predicted. We have robust data from the outbreaks in China and Italy that shows the backside of the mortality curve declines slowly, with deaths persisting for months. Assuming we have crested in deaths at 70,000, it is possible that we lose another 70,000 people over the next 6 weeks as we come off that peak. That's what's going to happen with a lockdown. As states reopen and we give the virus more fuel, all bets are off. If you don't solve the biology, the economy won't recover.

Fact check: Did DHHS threaten to withhold PPE from NC hospitals?
A North Carolina legislator claims that the state health department threatened to withhold equipment from hospitals if they resumed elective procedures. But the health department has denied the claim, and PolitiFact could not confirm that the ultimatum was ever seriously considered or even communicated to hospitals.

NC to hire, train contact tracers to help with coronavirus effort
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen and Director of NC Emergency Management Mike Sprayberry update the media and take questions on the state's coronavirus cases and response at a briefing April 27, 2020.

CBC OPINION
Editorial: Make a plan; Follow the plan
Friday, April 24, 2020 -- Gov. Roy Cooper has presented a clear and properly cautious plan to gradually reopen social interaction in North Carolina and reignite its economic engine. It is a program that seeks to continue to keep as many citizens as possible safe and healthy while prudently getting them back to work, school, and out-and-about. The General Assembly now needs to work with him - not against him - to do it.

Coronavirus is tearing through NC nursing homes, but the state won't say which ones
Few places have shown themselves more vulnerable to COVID-19 than nursing homes, the source of more than a third of reported deaths from the virus in North Carolina so far. But unlike in some other states, the department tasked with responding to the novel coronavirus and keeping the public informed isn't naming the facilities experiencing outbreaks.

Fact check: Is coronavirus the leading cause of death in the United States?
Mandy Cohen, the health secretary for North Carolina, said on Monday that "COVID-19 is now the leading cause of death in the United States." PolitiFact found that statement to be only half true.

CBC OPINION
DALE JENKINS, DAVID KING & MARK MCCLELLAN: Reopening North Carolina, together step by step
Thursday, April 16, 2020 -- Even as we continue to work to reduce COVID-19 cases and deaths, we must take steps toward reopening North Carolina. To make this happen, we all need to work together to reopen our state prudently and safely, recognizing that regional differences exist and that some activities should come back faster than others. With the threat of the virus continuing, simply setting an arbitrary date is not a wise basis for successful reopening. Instead, the focus should be on achieving some key milestones for protecting North Carolina.

CBC OPINION
Editorial: Cooper's latest order is on target
Monday, March 30, 2020 -- The state Chamber of Commerce and Sen. Phil Berger made their opinions known. The governor considered their views along with the advice from the medical and health care communities, his staff and other experts. It is now time that Berger, House Speaker Tim Moore and the state Chamber, publicly endorse and support the governor. Unite behind the efforts to slow and stop COVID-19 from spreading. That is the best prescription.

CBC OPINION
COVID-19 & N.C.: Three messages from Tar Heel health experts
Monday March 23, 2019 -- What can we do to protect ourselves amid the COVID-19 outbreak? What risks do our health professionals face? What's being done in rural communities? Here are three perspectives from the state's top health professional and policy leaders -- six former N.C. health directors; deans of the University of North Carolina and East Carolina medical schools and; the leader of a the major health care provider in rural N.C.

CBC OPINION
EXPERT ADVICE: Three steps we all can take to slow COVID-19's spread
Sunday March 22, 2020 -- As six former State Health Directors for North Carolina, we are speaking with one voice to urge each North Carolinian to take three critical steps to slow the spread of COVID-19: Do your best to limit contact with others; Stay informed from reliable sources and; Don't seek testing for COVID-19 if you have a mild illness.

CBC OPINION
Editorial: Cooper, other governors, fill Trump's COVID-19 leadership void
Saturday, March 14, 2020 -- President Donald Trump again promised to take charge of the coronavirus pandemic. Experience tells us to not count on it. Our nation's governors aren't waiting. Gov. Roy Cooper among the most prominent - stepped up to fill the White House's void. in confronting the coronavirus outbreak, is is governors offering hope and real action.

CBC OPINION
Editorial: Secretary Cohen tells legislators what they can't handle -- The Truth
Thursday, March 12, 2020 -- It is blind ideology, not popular will, that has kept North Carolina from doing the smart thing and expanding Medicaid. These legislative leaders don't heed doctors, insurance companies or hospitals. It is past time for negotiations with the governor to expand Medicaid and fund a government to properly serve its citizens and keep them safe.

'We expect more cases': Timeline of Wake coronavirus patient's arrival, symptoms, current status
A day after Wake County identified what is believed to be North Carolina's first case of coronavirus, the timeline of the patient's arrival, symptoms, contact with others and current status started to become more clear on Wednesday.

NC's massive Medicaid transformation delayed over budget fight
With funding vetoed, the Cooper administration will push back a Feb. 1 go-live date for one of the biggest changes in North Carolina health care in decades.