Yahoo Finance Meck expanding COVID booster shots + Charlotte street renamed
Happy Friday, folks. Kristen here, enjoying the fall weather. I know we’re all ready for the weekend, so I’ll jump right into our biggest headlines today:
1. Mecklenburg County plans to expand access to COVID booster shots. Here’s what to know
Mecklenburg County Public Health will be ready to offer third doses of the Pfizer vaccine to those who are eligible starting Monday at all public health vaccine sites, according to a Friday statement from health director Gibbie Harris.
The county is waiting on more guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Health and Human Services first, Harris said.
This week, the U.S Food and Drug Administration scientific advisory committee and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended the booster for those who have received two doses of Pfizer and are age 65 or older or are at high risk.
The boosters are recommended at least six months after the second dose.
Learn more about the development with the Observer’s Hannah Smoot.
2. ‘A street named for everybody.’ Jeff Davis St. becomes Druid Hills Way
The new street sign for Druid Hills Way was unveiled by city representatives Friday morning. A group of residents were in attendance to watch the street formerly known as Jefferson Davis Street be officially renamed.
It’s the first of nine streets to be renamed in Charlotte after December recommendations from a city commission.
In March, the Observer examined the history of Jefferson Davis Street. Longtime residents said it was a close-knit community and it had a legacy of Black home ownership. Some folks resented the street having the slave owner’s name, as reported by the Observer’s Devna Bose.
“Obviously, we’re a long way from the Confederacy and the long, dark history that it represents. And Charlotte is a progressive city. Charlotte is a moving city,” said Malcolm Graham, a City Council member and chair of the city’s Great Neighborhoods Committee. “It is really important that as we move forward as a community, that these names reflect who we are as a community here in Charlotte.”
3. Here’s the latest on Christian McCaffrey’s hamstring injury and how long he’ll be out
The Carolina Panthers will be without running back Christian McCaffrey for “a few weeks,” a league source confirmed Friday.
The details:
McCaffrey strained his hamstring in the second quarter of the Panthers’ 24-9 win over the Houston Texans Thursday night.
He got an MRA the next day.
NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport was the first to report the news.
The Panthers have not decided whether they will put him on IR, as reported by the Observer’s Jonathan M. Alexander.
How did the game go otherwise for the Panthers? For more coverage of last night’s game against the Texans, click here to read our sports team’s reporting.
4. What you may have missed this week from our editorial board
Each week, our editorial board puts out multiple pieces commenting on the state of affairs in North Carolina. Here are a few selections from this past week:
The worker shortage is a reckoning for employers who neglected their employees, by Ned Barnett
An employee uprising over vaccine mandates? Not so much, by the editorial board
Lawmakers want to help NC renters and landlords. Is partisanship getting in the way?, by the editorial board
Find the rest of our opinion content here.
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