Cooper pushes for COVID boosters, won't reimpose mandates

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and top state health officials are making a push ahead of the holidays to expand free at-home testing and encourage vaccinated individuals to get a booster. But they declined to reimpose statewide mandates — even as they warned on Monday of a huge COVID-19 surge fueled by the omicron variant. Over two-thirds of North Carolina adults have received at least two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the J&J vaccine. But Cooper said 62% of vaccinated people have not yet received boosters. Early studies suggest the vaccinated will need a booster shot for the best chance at preventing an omicron infection.