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Raleigh, North Carolina – A COVID-19 vaccine will be free to anyone in North Carolina who wants it, Gov. Roy Cooper said.
He and Dr Mandy Cohen, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, detailed the distribution plan during a press briefing on Tuesday.
State health officials will review the data and research on any vaccine before they begin making it available to the public, Cooper said.
As soon as the FDA approves the use of any vaccine, the state expects to receive more than about 85,000 doses.
It will first be administered to health workers in hospitals and long-term care facilities who treat or work with COVID patients and to those who clean up areas where COVID patients are present. The state estimates this population at 161,000.
As additional vaccines are approved, the state will secure additional allocations and expand distribution to others.
The second group targeted by the state will be long-term care residents, people over 65 who live in overcrowded situations such as prisons and homeless shelters, and other adults who suffer from both. chronic diseases or more that put them at greater risk. for a severe case of coronavirus. This group is estimated at 951,000 people.
Vaccinating the rest of those at high risk of exposure to COVID-19 will include an additional 1 to 1.5 million people – all people over 65, under 65 in crowded situations, or working in jobs first-line and do not have two or more chronic diseases.
The third phase makes the vaccine available to anyone in a critical position, according to the state “workers in industries essential to the functioning of society” and students in K-12 schools, colleges and universities.
The final phase would include the rest of the population of North Carolina.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina surpassed 2,000 for the first time on Tuesday. More than 2,030 people are in hospital fighting the coronavirus, and nearly a quarter of them are in intensive care units. Statewide, hospital beds are 74% full and intensive care units are 79% full.
As has been the case, the majority of these hospitalizations occur in the Triad and Charlotte regions.
- The Capital Region, which includes Wake, Franklin, Johnston, Harnett and Lee counties, has a total of 133 people in hospital, 37 of whom are in intensive care.
- The Duke Healthcare region, which includes the counties of Durham, Granville, Vance, Warren, Person and Caswell, has a total of 148 people in the hospital, including 36 in intensive care.
- The Central Carolina region, which includes Alamance, Orange, Chatham, Moore, Montgomery, Richmond, Hoke, Cumberland and Sampson counties, has a total of 232 people in the hospital. , including 62 in intensive care.
New daily cases in North Carolina average 3,617, and more than 10% of coronavirus tests come back positive. A total of 5,284 people have died in the state.
In a morning meeting with his State Council, Cooper warned, “We have a tough few months ahead of us,” reminding them again of the need for leaders to lead by example in terms of mask wearing and distance. social.
The council, Cooper said, will continue to meet remotely “until we can get to the other side of this pandemic.”
As coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country, some states have made the decision to close restaurants and schools.
In North Carolina, Governor Cooper issued a stricter mask warrant on November 23, requiring masks indoors whenever a person not from the same household is present and outdoors whenever physical distance is not possible.
The stricter restrictions include the requirement for masks in private schools and gyms, even when people are training, as well as at airports and at bus and train stations.
The last decree will be in effect until December 11.
Even with promising news from several vaccine manufacturers, several health experts have said that a COVID-19 vaccine will not be widely available until at least spring.
Healthcare workers and other vulnerable populations may be able to receive the first vaccines before Christmas, but it will be especially important for people to socially distance themselves and follow mask orders throughout the holiday season.
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