On Monday, North Carolina enters 1B, the next phase of its COVID-19 rollout plan, which means senior citizens will soon have access to vaccines.
The first Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, administered in the United States in mid-December, are intended for healthcare professionals and those living or working in long-term care facilities.
Now other essential workers and people aged 75 and over can also get the vaccine.
Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said during a state briefing last week that she expects to share more information soon about the updated vaccination system, which CVS and Walgreens employees can use to give shots to seniors to give citizens. .
Davidson County, which is west of the Triangle, has already announced applications for senior citizens and will begin distributing to the group on Monday.
It is 21 days since the first COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, was administered in the Triangle. Anyone who received the Pfizer vaccine on December 14 can now receive their second dose.
The administration of the two doses should be at least three weeks apart. The Pfizer vaccine appears to be approximately 52% effective after the first dose and 95% effective after the second dose. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses.
Phases 2, 3 and 4 follow
Phase 2, the next phase, will enable adults at high risk for exposure and increased risk of serious illness to get vaccinated, including everyone aged 65-74, regardless of their medical condition or life situation.
In phase 2, people under the age of 65 can be vaccinated if they have a medical condition that increases the risk of serious COVID-19 diseases, as well as remaining essential workers and people living or working in care facilities.
In Phase 3, students of 16, or older, university and high school students can be vaccinated. When the state enters phase 4, anyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccine can get one.
Cohen said it would take months for COVID-19 vaccines to become widely available.
“Until most people are vaccinated, everyone should continue to wear a mask, wait six feet apart and wash their hands,” she said.
Coronavirus spike in North Carolina
North Carolina has seen another increase in COVID-19 cases, with the first two days of 2021 showing 19,000 new cases in our state and most counties in red, a critical distribution zone for the community. Doctors told WRAL it would take two weeks after Christmas to see the impact of the holiday on COVID-19 numbers.
As many people return to work on Monday, health officials recommend that everyone who travels during the holidays or has gathered in a large group be tested.
Wake County has set up two new test sites to help with the demand for tests, and some patients get results within hours. Appointments are not necessary.
Test sites open on Monday include:
Marsh Creek Park, 3050 N. New Hope Road, Raleigh
11 to 16 hours
Roberts Park, 1300 E. Martin St.
11 to 16 hours
Method Community Park, 514 Method Road, Raleigh
11 to 16 hours
On Monday, North Carolina could surpass 7,000 COVID-19 deaths. The number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is 3,566, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.