Raleigh, NC Although North Carolina is still focused on vaccinating health workers and residents and staff in long-term coronavirus care facilities, some counties are also starting to vaccinate people 75 years and older.
But the move, as well as the state’s overall effort for vaccination, is causing confusion and frustration.
The Wilson County Department of Health, for example, uses some of the 800 doses of vaccine it has for the elderly, but officials have told people to call and make an appointment to be vaccinated. However, telephone problems and an overwhelming response caught up with the plan on Monday, which led many people to turn up at the health department sooner.
“I’m 82 years old, and my husband is 87 and has just been diagnosed with lung cancer. Of course we want that,” Undine Lamm said of the vaccine.
The couple drove from Elm City to the health department office in Wilson to make an appointment, only to be turned away.
“We are here to make an appointment to have our COVID vaccine shot,” Lamm said. ‘I called 12 [or] This morning 13 times trying to get through and can not get through. … The lady says, ‘Well, you have to call to make the appointment. That’s the only way to make it happen. ”
Wilson’s Bill Robinette had the same problem.
“I called a whole bunch and then said I would come out here in person and see if I could get an appointment, but they said you still have to call and make a call,” Robinette said.
Annette Clark, 82, was able to set up her appointment last week, and she received her first dose of the vaccine on Monday.
“It was painless, it was effortless and I was in and out,” Clark said. “It’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Wilson County Health Director Teresa Ellen said she hopes the phone problems will be fixed by Tuesday. The department is also creating an online portal for making vaccinations.
Elsewhere, the Person County Health Department had to extend the hours of its Elderly Vaccination Clinic on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., and add a second clinic on Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. to meet the demand. Northampton County also plans to vaccinate the elderly on Wednesday. Both provinces said people should make appointments in advance.
Halifax County expects to vaccinate seniors by next week, and UNC Health Southeastern will begin vaccinating people 75 years and older in Robeson County on Wednesday.
Each province treats vaccinations for the elderly differently. Dr Mandy Cohen, secretary of the department of health and human services, said last week that officials have a better idea this week of how the process will go.
Wake County has issued a statement saying local doctors, health departments and hospitals are currently working on a joint strategy to vaccinate the elderly.
“Currently, there is not enough vaccine to move to Phase 1b. Wake County is vaccinating those eligible for Phase 1a with the limited quantity available. Phase 1a includes thousands of healthcare workers, medical staff and first responders working with COVID – 19 patients, staff helping to administer vaccines, as well as long-term care staff and residents, ”reads a statement on the province’s website.
Provincial officials said 3,800 people are on a waiting list for vaccinations, but the province only has 2020 doses left, meaning more than 1,700 people will have to wait for the next vaccination to get their chance.
The first Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines administered in the United States in mid-December are predisposed to healthcare workers and those living or working in long-term care facilities.
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 since three weeks have passed.
The Pfizer vaccine appears to be approximately 52% effective after the first dose and 95% effective after the second dose. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, with four weeks between the two shots for those receiving the Moderna vaccine.
Doctors’ offices are also waiting
People 75 and older are just the first group in the Phase 1b rollout plan. The second group in the phase includes health workers who do not treat COVID-19 patients and “essential” workers 50 years and older, including first responders, teachers, postal workers, and supermarket staff. The third group in that phase includes essential workers 49 and younger.
Dr Brian Bowman, a Cary pediatrician, complained to DHHS officials about the lack of information about vaccinating health workers like him who does not treat COVID-19 patients but still has risks of exposure.
“If you do not know we are here, how do we know we’re going to get the vaccine?” Bowman said. “We are certainly not intensive care units in emergency rooms, but we still have great potential exposure.”
He sent a letter to DHHS last week asking when his group would get the vaccine. They will get it now this week. He said he was not sure if the letter made it possible to get on the schedule, but he was very concerned that doctors in other parts of the state were missing out.
“It was not completely transparent, not clear where we were going to go and how we were going to do it,” he said. “It felt a lot like we’re in individual silos, and we have to take care of our staff ourselves so we can stay here and be open during this time.”
After weeks of waiting, dr. Beverly Edwards, a pediatrician in Ahoskie, eventually penetrated to the Hertford County Health Department to plan vaccinations for herself and her office staff.
‘We called, we and the others peds offices call them every day because we know they had the vaccine for at least two to three weeks, “Edwards said. They were supposed to have a plan to give everyone a chance in front of everyone, but they really have not come up with the plan yet. ‘
After phase 1b, adults with a high risk of exposure or increased risk of serious diseases will be vaccinated in phase 2. This includes people 65 to 74 and those younger than 65 who have a medical condition that increases the risk of serious diseases due to COVID-19. . Other essential workers and people living or working in care facilities are also in phase 2.
In Phase 3, students of 16, or older, university and high school students can be vaccinated. Phase 4 is open to anyone else who wants to be vaccinated.
Cohen said it would take months for vaccines to become widely available to the public.
Coronavirus spike in North Carolina
North Carolina has seen another increase in coronavirus cases, with the first two days of 2021 showing 19,000 new cases across the country.
Another 5,187 infections were reported on Monday when the state set a record with 16.5 percent of virus tests positive. Government officials have set a target of 5 percent or lower for the benchmark.
In the past week, the state has averaged 7,056 new cases per day, the first time during the pandemic the figure was 7,000.
North Carolina also set its third daily record of people in hospitals with COVID-19 on Monday, at 3,635. Hospitals have a capacity of 74 percent and only 17 percent of the intensive care beds are available.
Wake County has set up new websites to help with the demand for coronavirus 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 in Raleigh, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Roberts Park, 1300 E. Martin St. in Raleigh, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Method Community Park, 514 Method Road in Raleigh, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.