Wake County to receive 3,900 doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week :: WRAL.com

By Joe Fisher, WRAL Multimedia Journalist

Raleigh, North Carolina – Wake County will receive thousands more doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week, but the number is far lower than health officials wanted.

Wake County expects a shipment of 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to arrive on Tuesday and for each of the next two weeks. Statewide, North Carolina is expected to receive approximately 145,000 doses per week during this time.

Wake County had requested 10,000 doses this week to immunize people at its two clinics. Last week, the county received just 1,000 doses.

As of Monday morning, there were still over 80,000 people on the Wake County immunization waiting list.

The increase in the number of vaccines available comes from a combination of the federal government pushing more doses to states over the next few weeks and state officials reworking their vaccine distribution plan.

The county’s 100 health departments will receive doses in each of the next two weeks after some have received zero doses for several weeks in a row.

The state distributes about 90,000 doses per week between health services and hospitals, providing each with a basic amount. The remaining 55,000 doses per week will be sent to communities with high numbers of people 65 and over who have low incomes or who live in rural or marginalized communities, officials said.

Some doses will also be directed to large-capacity vaccination clinics, such as the one held Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, where more than 20,000 people were vaccinated.

While many counties operate drive-thru vaccination clinics that do not require an appointment, Wake County is asking eligible groups, which include people over the age of 65, healthcare workers and staff and residents of long-term care facilities, register for a vaccine online or by calling 919-250-1515.

Once a person is registered, they will be called when an appointment and a vaccine are available. Appointments are required to get a vaccine in Wake County.

According to the State Department of Health and Human Services, you are not required to be vaccinated in your county of residence.