The CDC vaccination board shows that North Carolina has given the first dose of vaccination to 966 per 100,000 people.
“It’s probably going a little slower than we thought,” said Dr. Dennis Taylor, who treats Wake Forest Baptist Health patients in Winston-Salem. She is also president of the North Carolina Nurses Association. “And I’m not sure where exactly the issues are, whether it’s a document that’s being preserved or what. From what I understand, we have the vaccine. It’s just about setting up places for people to really get the vaccine “.
Questions and Answers with a North Carolina Physician: When will the general public be able to get the vaccine?
Due to limited supply, vaccines in North Carolina are being produced in phases, and health officials say it is likely that it will be well into the spring that the general public can get the vaccine. North Carolina is currently in Phase 1, which includes health care workers, medical and first aid staff who work with COVID-19 patients and long-term care staff and residents.
A spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that some vaccine providers will begin phase 1b on Jan. 6, but most will begin Jan. 11.
NCDHHS has a board updated once a week that includes state-administered vaccines. So far, the board shows that 63,571 people have received the first dose. However, NCDHHS said its scorecard data does not include vaccines administered in long-term care settings and that they know there are more vaccines administered than currently appearing in the weekly report.
An NCDHHS spokesman also said Monday that in order to increase the pace of vaccinations, the NCDHHS sent a letter to all local hospitals and health departments warning them that future vaccine allocations will change. depending on the number of vaccines administered that have been reported to the State.
When can the COVID-19 vaccine be obtained? Find out where you are in line
“Getting it to the right place at the right time is almost impossible to do perfectly, so the fact that we’re doing it in a few months since the coronavirus starts by 5-10 years, we’re already ahead of schedule,” he said. dir Dr. Arthur Apolinario, who treats patients at the Clinton Medical Clinic. He is also co-chair of the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, which gave comments to the state on how to distribute the vaccine. “We know there will be hiccups. We know there are certain people who think they should get there faster or sooner.”
ABC11 contacted Triangle hospitals to find out how many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Duke Health has administered more than 10,000 doses. The second doses began on Sunday along with the first administrations. To date, UNC Health has vaccinated more than 13,000 employees. The second doses for the first receptors are scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
Nearly 4,000 WakeMed employees have received their first dose of vaccination, with an additional 1,200 employees scheduled to be vaccinated (first dose) between Monday and Friday. This week they started administering the second dose.
Dr. Apolinario outlined what will happen when the vaccine is offered to everyone in North Carolina.
“We will have a wider distribution,” Dr. Apolinario said. “It’s not just the health department and hospitals that are providing the vaccine right now. The ongoing vaccines all have the capacity to be provided in medical offices where we don’t need special refrigerators to keep them colder than current vaccines. , so the distribution will be more widespread. We are looking to talk to the churches, we are looking for, of course, primary care offices. “
Dr. Apolinario and Taylor worked with COVID-19 patients and obtained the first dose of the vaccine. Dr. Taylor said he will get the second dose on Friday.
“The first dose didn’t bother me at all,” Dr. Taylor said. “I had no pain around the site. I didn’t have a fever, I had no symptoms of receiving the first dose. From what I understand, people who receive the second dose have a little more local reaction. So a little more of muscle pain at the injection site, but that’s really it. “
Former FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan told ABC11 by email that North Carolina is dealing with the distribution of vaccines through a public health approach and that the gap the state faces is not so great. unusual at this time of release.
In Wake County, a total of 3,085 Pfizer vaccines have been received and 1,065 have been administered as of Monday morning.
Former state health director Dr. Leah Devlin served on the COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee
he attributed many of the problems to the insufficient vaccine and said it is important for people to hear the news and notice when it is their turn.
“We have an effective vaccine that is amazing. We have a plan to put this vaccine in place. The vaccine reaches our state every week. Finally there will be a vaccine for everyone in North Carolina who is willing to take it. “, he said. Dr. Devlin.
“The light is at the end of the tunnel. I think you’ve heard Dr. Fauci say, but we’re still in the tunnel, so be patient, protect yourself, your family, your friends and listen when it’s time to do it. “Go ahead. Go take that shot,” Dr. Devlin said. “We’re there, we’ll have the majority of the population immunized in the summer, so that’s great news,” Dr. Devlin said.
Copyright © 2021 WTVD-TV. All rights reserved.