Triangle counties entering Phase 1b of COVID-19 vaccine rollout as case numbers rise
Health departments and hospitals in the Triangle are beginning to shift into the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, providing shots to people who are at least 75 years old.
But not everyone is moving at the same speed, with Wake County announcing that its health department will start offering vaccine to Group 1 of Phase 1b on Jan. 19, while Orange County and some local hospitals have already entered that stage.
“Throughout the vaccination process and for the next several months, it is likely that counties and agencies will continue to move at different paces,” Rod Jenkins, the Durham County health director, said in a Friday video update.
Jenkins added that moving to the next phase depends on the availability of vaccine, how many people need to be vaccinated and whether the provider can schedule people for appointments and safely provide vaccine at a time COVID-19 is rapidly spreading throughout the Triangle and state.
The vaccine rollout started last month, focusing on health care providers and staff who work directly with and around COVID-19 patients, as well as long-term care staff and residents. Shots have arrived even as COVID-19 case numbers spike statewide and in the Triangle, spurring leaders to extend restrictions and call for North Carolinians to adopt strict measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
As of Friday, 151,902 people statewide had received the first dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. Of those, 9,115 people have taken the second dose necessary for the vaccine to achieve maximum effectiveness.
DHHS’ county-level data does not include information from CVS and Walgreens’ partnership with the federal government that will see the pharmacies provide vaccine to long-term care homes. North Carolina has allocated 165,900 doses to the pharmacies, which reported 23,965 doses administered as of Jan. 8.
Wake County leads North Carolina both in people who have received the first dose and people who have received the second dose, with 14,682 and 1,001, respectively, per DHHS. Through the week of Jan. 4, there had been a total of 24,575 first doses allocated across Wake County, including through the county health department and local hospitals.
Vaccinations in North Carolina started Dec. 14, meaning the week of Jan. 4 was the first time recipients of the Pfizer vaccine were eligible for their second dose. Pfizer recipients have to wait 21 days until their second shot, while people who take the Moderna vaccine are supposed to wait 28 days.
The Wake County health department has announced that it will move into Phase 1b of vaccination on Jan. 19, providing shots to people at least 75 years old. According to the health department’s website, the county plans to launch a hotline and web portal on Jan. 19 where those interested in receiving the vaccine will be able to schedule appointments.
“Wake County’s COVID-19 response team has worked diligently to create a process that ensures none of our seniors waits outside in a long line in the bitter cold to get vaccinated only to find out the day’s allotment of doses is gone when they get to the door,” according to the health department’s website.
In Durham County, 9,301 people have received the first shot, with 856 of those completing the series. And in Orange County, 5,430 have taken the first shot, including 388 who have taken both.
According to DHHS, 20,975 first doses have been allocated to institutions in Durham County, while 8,225 have been allocated in Orange County.
Durham County has not yet announced specifics about Phase 1b, with the health department’s website stating only that a phone number and website will be available soon. In his video update, Jenkins said the department hopes to begin Phase 1b within the next two weeks.
The Orange County Health Department has started vaccinating people who are at least 75 years old, but warned that supplies might be limited to between 100 and 300 shots.
The Johnston County Health Department has also entered Phase 1b and is planning to offer vaccine at drive-thru clinics. The first of these will start at 10 a.m. Tuesday at West Johnston High School, 5935 Raleigh Road in Benson. Vaccine will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, and identification will be required to prove a recipient’s age.
Local hospitals are also shifting into Phase 1b, focusing primarily on Group 1. UNC Health will begin providing shots to people who are at least 75 years old on Monday, The News & Observer reported, while the Duke University Health System started providing vaccine to members of the public on Friday.
In an interview with The News & Observer, Ryan Jury, the Wake County public health division’s COVID-19 clinical vaccine liaison, said, “The state and any vaccine provider can vaccinate individuals in (Phase) 1 and (Phase) 1b, group 1 as of today, and each group can make their own decision as to when that date is.”
Highest case counts
Durham, Orange and Wake counties each recorded their highest number of COVID-19 cases in a single week, according to data reported by DHHS.
From Jan. 4 to Jan. 10, Wake County reported 5,565 new COVID-19 cases. That was nearly 1,000 more cases than the 4,607 recorded just a week before.
Durham saw its cases jump from 953 the week of Dec. 28 to 1,304. In Orange County, the number of new cases increased from 336 to 455.
In a Jan. 6 update of DHHS’ county alert system for COVID-19 community spread, all three counties remained at the same level as before. Durham and Wake were classified as orange counties, meaning they have substantial levels of community spread. They were among 12 counties in the orange classification.
Orange County was one of only four in the state that was classified as a yellow county, the lowest level signifying significant community spread.
With cases escalating statewide, Gov. Roy Cooper announced a three-week extension for the modified stay-at-home order that went into effect on Dec. 11. Under the extension, North Carolinians are required to stay home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. with very limited exceptions, like traveling to or from work or picking up medicine.
The state government also issued a set of directives from DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen last week. While the directives are not enforceable, they do paint a dire picture of North Carolina’s COVID-19 situation. Everyone should stay home, Cohen wrote, unless they are working, exercising, going to school or getting groceries or medicine.
Schools changing plans
K-12 schools and higher education institutions have both started reacting to escalating spread of COVID-19.
Durham Public Schools voted Thursday to keep classes entirely online for the rest of the school year, The News & Observer reported. Previously, the board had approved a plan that would see students in kindergarten through fifth grade return for part-time classes in the spring semester if the county’s positive COVID-19 tests stayed below 4% for two weeks.
Since the Durham board approved that plan, the COVID-19 situation has grown significantly more severe, both statewide and in the county. Over the last two weeks, 10.2% of COVID-19 tests in Durham have come back positive, per DHHS.
Wake County Public Schools is holding classes virtually until Jan. 20, in part because the number of teachers quarantining due to COVID-19 has made it difficult to find enough classroom personnel. The News & Observer reported that while board members indicated they are prepared to move forward with K-3 students returning to classrooms on the 20th, they are concerned about fourth and fifth graders because there is not a limit on class size at those levels.
Superintendent Cathy Moore will provide a report this week looking at what kind of resources would be necessary to continue in-person daily classes for fourth and fifth grades while capping the number of students in a classroom at 20, The N&O reported.
Middle and high schools students in Wake County are expected to rotate between in-person and online classes, with students spending one week in the classroom followed by two weeks learning virtually.
UNC-Chapel Hill announced Thursday that with case counts rising, the first three weeks of classes would be virtual. Students can return to residence halls as soon as Jan. 13, The News & Observer reported, but can choose to wait until as late as Feb. 7 to move back.
No other UNC system schools have recently announced changes to their in-person plans, The News & Observer reported. At N.C. State University, 66 people tested positive between Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, according to a university dashboard.