Wake has given the most vaccine in NC, but the wait for your shot may be awhile
While Wake County has given more COVID-19 vaccine shots than any other county in North Carolina, health officials warn it likely will take them longer than others in the state to start the next phase of distribution — including vaccines for older adults and frontline essential workers.
“We can’t stress enough how little vaccine there is for the population of Wake County,” Leah Holdren, a Wake County spokeswoman, wrote in an email to The News & Observer Monday. “Right now, there is not enough vaccine to move to Phase 1b just yet.”
Last week, North Carolina officials announced an update to the state’s vaccination plan. Anyone who is at least 75 years old will be in the first group of the state’s updated Phase 1b, The News & Observer reported. Next eligible for vaccine will be people who are at least 50 years old and working as either health care providers or frontline essential workers.
Individual people cannot yet sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine in any of the Triangle’s counties.
Between Dec. 14 and Dec. 28, 7,767 “first doses” of COVID-19 vaccine were distributed in Wake County, the most in the state, according to data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines given emergency authorization by the federal government require a second shot to reach their maximum effectiveness.
As of mid-afternoon Monday, Wake remained in Phase 1a with 2,020 doses available at the Wake County Division of Public Health and 3,800 invitations for people who qualify under North Carolina’s Phase 1a to receive shots this week. Many of those won’t be able to come, Holdren said, which is why there are more invitations than available doses. The number of doses doesn’t include what’s available at local hospitals.
Durham County had provided the third-most vaccine doses in the state, with 5,450, narrowly trailing Mecklenburg County and just in front of Forsyth County. As of Dec. 28, Orange County had given the fifth-most first doses, with 3,043.
The vaccine rollout is happening during a period where the pandemic is rapidly accelerating, both statewide and in much of the Triangle region.
DHHS updates vaccine data on Tuesdays, and statistics provided by health departments and medical providers who are giving vaccinations can lag by as much as 72 hours. The state dashboard also does not include information about how many people CVS and Walgreens have vaccinated at the state’s nursing homes and care facilities through a partnership with the federal government.
“CVS and Walgreens report their long-term care vaccinations to (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) within 72 hours of administration. NCDHHS is working with both companies to access and report this data. We expect there will be a CDC dashboard for it, but don’t know the timeline for that,” Amy Ellis, a DHHS spokeswoman, wrote in an email.
Vaccine availability and phases
Now, much of North Carolina is still in Phase 1a of the vaccination effort, which prioritizes frontline health care employees and staff who are working directly with or around COVID-19 patients, in addition to those residents and staff at long-term care facilities.
But this week, some providers are expected to make vaccine available to people who are at least 75 years old, with most of the state reaching phase 1b the week of Jan. 11, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services secretary, during a recent press conference.
The Wake County Division of Public Health warned that it could take longer for vaccine to start reaching the public than in some other counties.
“It will take Wake County longer to get through phases than most other counties, simply because we are the most populated county in the state and have a comparatively larger number of health care workers than some other counties,” according to a frequently asked questions document on the county website.
As vaccinations start in Phase 1b, members of the public will be able to sign up through North Carolina’s COVID-19 Vaccine Management System, according to the Orange County Health Department, which is not yet available.
People who register through the vaccine management system will be able to see if they are eligible for a vaccine in the current phase, according to a DHHS frequently asked questions document. Future versions will also include an appointment scheduling tool that helps would-be recipients find a provider with vaccine nearby and schedule an appointment.
Right now, the vaccine management system is available only in English. According to the FAQ, DHHS is “prioritizing” Spanish translation of the system’s pages for recipients.
Wake County has not yet decided how people will be able to sign up for vaccination slots, but hopes to finalize the process this week, Holdren wrote.
Holdren said the health department has received “many, many” questions from people 75 years and older about where they will be able to receive the vaccine. The ideal place for someone to receive the vaccine, Holdren wrote, will be from their existing medical providers.
“Local health departments like us, hospitals, community health centers and primary care physicians in Wake County are and will continue to coordinate a joint strategy to identify, reach and vaccinate the 75+ population,” Holdren wrote.
In Durham, the county health department indicated the vaccine rollout could involve coordinating with employers to notify people when they become eligible and schedule appointments in later phases. The health department also plans to continue using social media, email alerts, coordination with partner agencies and other efforts to make information about the vaccine available.
Officials have indicated that vaccine will likely not be available to every person who wants it until the late spring or early summer.
“It may possibly be summer before supplies will be widely available to everyone,” according to the Wake County frequently asked questions document.
Climbing COVID-19 counts
During the week of Dec. 28, the number of new cases increased in all three Triangle counties compared to the week before, according to data reported by DHHS.
Wake County recorded the largest increase, with 4,607 new lab-confirmed cases last week compared to 2,513 during the week of Dec. 21. That’s an 83.3% increase.
Orange County recorded a 45.5% increase, going from 231 new cases to 336 new cases.
Both Wake and Orange counties outpaced the state’s 27.7% increase in new cases over the past week.
The lowest increase, 21.7%, came in Durham. During the week of Dec. 21, the county recorded 783 new cases, with 953 new cases the week of Dec. 8.
This story was originally published January 3, 2021 at 6:05 PM.