WRAL Data Trackers Coverage

Delta + omicron + holidays = more demand for vaccine booster shots in NC
Demand for booster shots of coronavirus vaccine has jumped by 13 percent in North Carolina in the last two weeks, and health experts say the combination of the holiday season and two circulating variants of the virus is the perfect reason for more people to get their shots.

Response times by Durham police to emergency calls getting worse
Durham police continue having trouble meeting their target for response times to serious incidents, according to statistics that the City Council is expected to review on Thursday.

Violent crime makes up less than 6% of incident reports to Durham police, data shows
WRAL Data Trackers analyzed more than 52,000 calls to police from Jan. 1, 2020 to July 24, 2021.

'Mass exodus:' Durham County employees leaving at higher rate than last year
More than any other city or county in central North Carolina, Durham has seen a large spike in resignations.

Small schools see windfall from COVID relief money
WRAL Investigates looked into the $2.5 billion that went to institutes of higher education in North Carolina and found huge discrepancies in the amount schools received on a per-student basis.

Supreme Court's decision could bring more women to NC seeking abortions
Only 13 clinics in North Carolina perform abortions, and more women might need their services if the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to ban abortion much earlier in pregnancy.

Program giving new hope for recovery to those living with substance use
A new program in Robeson County helps people who find themselves in the criminal justice system find a space in a rehab. Robeson's ER visit rate for overdoses is among the highest rates in the state.

Local efforts underway to fight food insecurity in NC during the holidays
Food insecurity - or the lack of continuous access to nutritious meals, is an issue for people in every pocket of North Carolina.

More than 1.5 million North Carolina residents facing food insecurity, data shows
One of out every five children in the state lack continuous access to nutritious meal

NC daily COVID cases about 1/2 what they were a year ago
On Thanksgiving Day 2020, eight months into the coronavirus pandemic and with vaccine yet to be widely available, North Carolina was averaging 3,663 new cases of COVID-19 daily and 34 deaths. A year later, with 68% of North Carolina adults fully vaccinated, new cases are 45% lower.

Holidays compared: NC coronavirus cases on rise, still about half what they were last Thanksgiving
On Thanksgiving Day 2020, eight months into the coronavirus pandemic and with vaccine yet to be widely available, North Carolina was averaging 3,663 new cases of COVID-19 daily and 34 deaths.

Homeowners growing frustrated federal money earmarked for mortgage help has yet to flow
Back in March, Congress approved the Housing Assistance Fund as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. As of now, the application portal hasn't even opened.

NCCU program aims to get more Black men into teaching
Although more than one-third of public school students nationwide are Black, less than 2 percent of teachers are Black men. North Carolina Central University wants to close that numbers gap.

Rate of suicides in NC double that of homicides
Between 2015 and 2019, more than 7,000 North Carolinians died by suicide, according to data recently released by DHHS.

Dine-in or takeout, NC restaurants once again are feeding the masses
After months of takeout and to-go orders early in the pandemic, followed by months of limited capacity at restaurants across North Carolina, diners have returned in force.

Doctors credit vaccinations, antibody treatments for drop in COVID-19 hospitalizations
While COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped by 62 percent in the last eight weeks, Triangle hospitals have seen an ever larger decline. Across WakeMed, Duke University Health System and UNC Health hospitals, the number of COVID-19 patients has fallen by two-thirds sine the end of August, from 785 to 269.

Home, vehicle break-ins down in Raleigh, but some areas still more prone to crime than others
Despite growth in the Triangle, the numbers of residential and vehicle break-ins have dropped in Raleigh this year, according to data examined by WRAL News.

On WRAL-TV at 6: Are crime rates increasing with the rapid growth in the Triangle?
Are crime rates increasing with the rapid growth in the Triangle? WRAL Data trackers broke down the numbers, so you don't have to.

COVID-19 was cause of death for 2 of every 3 NC law enforcement officers in last 2 years
Nationwide, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 473 law enforcement first responders since the beginning of last year. That's more than five times as many who died from gunfire in that same time.