Ben Sessoms, The Raleigh News and Observer – After several weeks of surging, new COVID-19 cases have been coming back down in North Carolina since mid-September. Vaccinations did increase for a few weeks throughout July and August, which could be due to fears of the delta variant, a mutation of the coronavirus that’s more than twice as contagious as the original strain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But vaccine rates have decreased week-to-week since late August, even as delta has waned, N.C. Department Health and Human Services data show.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article254869892.html#storylink=mainstage_lead