In response to widespread outcry over the way that COVID-19 vaccinations in North Carolina are being handled, state health leaders are offering explanations, sympathy and the cold, hard, ugly numbers to those who want them.
By Sunday, Jan. 24, about 88 percent of all first doses on hand in the state of North Carolina had been administered. The public and private providers across the state have reported administering over 260,000 doses in the past week.
State officials want to keep the vaccine flying out of storage and into arms because they’re worried the state may get less supply if not all of it is used quickly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently ranks North Carolina 10th in total vaccines administered and 29th in vaccines administered per 100,000 people.
On Wednesday, Jan. 27, North Carolina will only have 120,000 doses to allocate for the state, which has a population of over 10 million. According to state health officials, those doses are already committed to large-scale events planned several weeks ago to address the backlog in vaccine.
“As a result,” a Monday press release from the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) stated that many providers are getting “small or no allocations for the coming weeks.” It added, “Through no fault of their own, they will be postponing appointments.”
NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen stated that it’s not going to be easy.
“As long as we are getting such a small amount of vaccine as a state, there are going to be challenges and shortages as we try to ensure equitable access to vaccine, while getting shots into arms quickly,” she said. “We understand this is hard for providers who are doing everything right.”
The press release also stated that, this week, the state will be sharing “more detailed guidance on the process for allocations for the coming weeks to ensure more transparency and certainty now that the state has largely exhausted the backlog of vaccine supply.”
Sorry (NOT) Mandy, I call BS. No way all those doses should have been sent to one county at the expense of others!!
Good Grief Charlie Brown!
Ol’ Roy and Minion Mandy feel your pain BUT,
Large scale events come first AND despite the fact that local dollars support local clinics it’s okay to get in line in whatever County you can get in.
This organized chaos is what supposedly slightly more than 50% of us voted for in November.
I feel your pain.
Could it be that the FEDS (post Donald Trump) are punishing North Carolina for being “RED” in the last National Elections?
American Believer, you are wrong! Large scale events shouldn’t come first and we shouldn’t have to go to other counties to get a vaccine. You must be a politician or related in some way. And you must be a Democrap( not misspelled). You sound like a democrap, only thinking of tax dollars for our corrupt government. We’re in for trouble with cheater Biden, his VP and the rest of his cronies.
Love how this guy wants to get in on the name calling and doesn’t realize that American Believer is one of the namecalliest cons out here.
That was sarcasm.
Government (in)action.