Fayetteville, NC Government officials say every North Carolina adult seeking a coronavirus vaccine will be able to get it by May 1, but Cape Fear Valley Health is not waiting that long.
The Fayetteville-based hospital system plans to immunize someone 16 years or older on Tuesday to ensure the weekly vaccines are used up.
“The state has a clear mandate that if you accept first doses for the week, they expect you to get the week out of it,” said Chris Tart, vice president of professional services at Cape Fear Valley Health.
Tart said the hospital system last week turned down extra doses from the state because officials see a silence in the appointments for the groups on the vaccine priority list that are currently eligible for shots. To ensure that the weekly shipment is not cut, he should open up to the next priority group, which is basically everything.
“We posted our appointments on Friday at 5 o’clock, and this morning we’m pretty full for the whole week,” he said.
Cape Fear Valley Health plans to administer 12,000 shots this week in its hospitals and medical facilities in Cumberland, Leaves and Hoke Provinces.
Last week, the hospital system was above 100,000 vaccinations.
“It’s a pretty impressive achievement to get so many doses in the arms within 14 weeks just for a hospital system,” Tart said.
Although Cape Fear Valley Health has switched to group 5 on the priority list, people in higher priority groups, such as health care workers, senior citizens and teachers, can still book appointments.
“We’re seeing some more stranglers,” he said. “Some people have kept the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because it is a one-time alternative to the two-dose vaccines.”