Duke Health system begins vaccinating non-employees but says supplies are tight
The Duke University Health System began vaccinating patients and members of the community against COVID-19 on Wednesday but expects demand will outstrip supply for the foreseeable future.
Duke is among the first in the Triangle to begin offering vaccine to people age 75 and older under the state’s phased system for inoculating people against the virus, which has now killed more than 7,000 people in North Carolina.
People in that age group, regardless of their health, are the first to receive the vaccine under Phase 1b of the state’s plan. Up to now, vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna have been reserved for front-line health care workers or residents and employees of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Duke began vaccinating non-employees at 7 a.m. Wednesday and hoped to finish several hundred by the end of the day, said Dr. Thomas Owens, senior vice president of the Duke University Health System. The shots are being given by appointment only.
Owens said Duke had about 2,000 doses to offer to non-employees this week and expected to learn from the state late Wednesday how many doses it would receive next week. He said the health system could give 1,000 or more shots a day, if the supply of vaccine will allow it.
“We expect there will be strong demand for the vaccine. We are prepared to vaccinate aggressively,” he said. “Our limiting factor is vaccine supply.”
How to register for vaccination
Duke is offering the vaccines by appointment only to prevent crowding or forcing people to wait in lines. Duke patients or members of the public who qualify can schedule an appointment or get on a waiting list by calling 919-385-0429 or going to www.dukehealth.org and clicking on “COVID-19 vaccine updates.”
Duke Health is also contacting patients and working with community groups to invite people 75 and older to make appointments.
Roy Cuttino, a retired IBM employee, learned he was eligible on Tuesday and became the first to be vaccinated at Duke under the 1b guidelines Wednesday morning. In a video interview released by Duke, Cuttino, 75, said he was ready.
“I think it’s important to get the vaccine, because I think that’s the only way to get past this pandemic,” he said. “I could not wait to get the vaccine.”
Duke Health continues to vaccinate employees who qualify under Phase 1a of the state’s vaccination plan. Owens said about 70% of the 21,000 Duke Health employees who qualify for the first round have either been vaccinated or have scheduled their first shot, and that he expects that number to rise as employees see that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe.
Duke offers the Pfizer vaccine because the hospital system has the special freezers needed to keep the vaccine at ultra-cold temperatures until it’s needed. To be fully effective, the Pfizer vaccine requires a second dose, given about 21 days after the first.
Owens says it will be some time before enough people are vaccinated that everyone can abandon other strategies for curbing spread of the coronavirus, such as wearing masks, washing their hands frequently and social distancing.
“For now we need people to keep their guard up in other ways,” he said, “because vaccine is just one aspect of fighting this.”
For more information about eligibility and to find other vaccination sites in North Carolina, go to the state Department of Health and Human Services website, covid19.ncdhhs.gov/findyourspot/, or call 1-877-490-6642.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
