Rocky Mount, NC The attempt to vaccinate senior citizens against coronavirus continues to roll out in North Carolina.
On Thursday, vehicles took miles for a vaccination clinic held by the Nash County Health Department outside Nash Central High School in Rocky Mount.
People started queuing for the clinic at 06:00, which aims to vaccinate people aged 75 and older.
“Nobody wants to catch it. That’s why I’m here at 6:30 this morning waiting to get the vaccine,” Pat said. Mauldin said.
“It’s important because we, like millions of others I’m sure, have been home since March,” said Marie Mullins, a retired teacher.
“People will be able to start working again and lead a normal life,” Mullins said, choking on tears. “Much more important than travel or even family … people can go back to work and get a life and get food again during their children’s lunches and children at school – and that’s what matters.”
said and choked tears. “[It’s] more important for people to be able to work again and lead a normal life. ‘
James Ervin, 79, said he brought snacks, drinks and his newspaper to keep him busy while he waited.
“From what I see and the traffic is aligned, I can be turned away today. I hope not,” Ervin said. “Of course I’m worried that others will get theirs too.”
The Department of Health had only 1,000 vaccine doses available to distribute on a first-come, first-served basis.
Health director Bill Hill said his staff did their best to immediately tell people when the queue is getting too long so people don’t waste their time.
“It’s bad enough to wait three hours and get a chance, but it’s worse to wait three hours and not have one available,” Hill said. ‘It’s hard to turn people away, but even [Wednesday], we talked about a makeup clinic for this one. ‘
Similar lines were seen on Wednesday when other provinces began moving to Phase 1B of the national vaccine distribution plan. Long queues have been formed at, among others, community centers, hospitals and vaccine clinics in the counties of Cumberland, Halifax and Wayne.
Healthcare workers dealing with COVID-19 patients and residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities were in Phase 1A, which began last month. Some provinces, including a large part of the Triangle, remain in the phase while trying to vaccinate their large number of health workers.
The first group in phase 1B are people aged 75 or older.
On Wednesday, a vaccination clinic at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville closed 30 minutes after it opened when the crowd quickly exceeded the 250 available vaccine doses. In Goldsboro, senior citizens waited hours in line just for the chance to sign up for one of the 550 COVID-19 vaccines available this week.
A vaccination clinic opened Thursday for a second day at Halifax Community College. Staff there said they expected a smaller turnout than Wednesday, when lines swirled around the parking lot while people waited outside for hours.
Although thousands of eligible North Carolingians are looking for vaccinations, provinces have a very limited supply and urge their residents to be patient. State health officials have assured North Carolinians that anyone who wants to be vaccinated will get their chance, but distribution will take time.
Nursing homes still need vaccines
Although much of the state is moving forward with Phase 1B, it is estimated that coronavirus vaccines have reached only a quarter of the nursing homes and long-term care facilities in North Carolina.
As part of the effort to vaccinate long-term care staff and residents falling under Phase 1A, Walgreens and CVS staff members visited to administer vaccines as part of a federal contract.
Adam Sholar, president and CEO of the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association, said he hopes vaccines will reach all facilities by the end of the month.
‘Some clinics seem to be a little more organized than others, but from what we hear, I think, we can say at this stage that it was week one of an unprecedented implementation and something we maintain. look, ”he said.
Sholar said that although the vast majority of nursing home residents welcomed the vaccine, long-term care workers were less willing. He said he hopes the attitude will change as the clinics continue in the coming weeks.