Durham, NC – Plans for a mass vaccination site against COVID-19 in Durham have been suspended.
Durham County Health Director Rodney Jenkins said the state does not provide enough vaccines to the county to support the site, which would supposedly help vaccinate up to 17,000 people a week.
“It’s not the best news we want to hear, but I’m confident that when supplies become a little more robust, it will be produced again,” Jenkins said, adding that planning has only stopped.
The state of North Carolina, which currently receives 145,000 first doses of coronavirus vaccine each week, said the federal government’s offer comes in too slowly.
On Jan. 26, the Research Triangle Foundation said they would be “happy to be hosts” of the site. The site would be able to vaccinate up to 17,000 people a week.
“We will certainly look at mobile testing, but it will depend on the number of vaccines we receive,” Jenkins said. “We can’t do that with 1,300 doses.”
Jenkins said that while the state gives the opportunity to get extra doses for events, it needs to be pre-planned and presented.
“You have to submit it to consider an additional vaccine and it’s not guaranteed,” he explained.
The delay at the Durham mass vaccination site comes days before 2,100 people are vaccinated at Wake County’s PNC Arena.