Nearly 1 in 3 NC adults now fully vaccinated against COVID, state says
Nearly a third of people age 18 and up in North Carolina are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported Monday.
Over 2.4 million people in the state are fully vaccinated, or 30.1% of the adult population and 23.6% of the total population.
Two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the single-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson are required to be fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that cause COVID-19.
Since Wednesday, everyone age 16 and up in North Carolina has been eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Percent positive rate remains above state target
Among test results reported Saturday, the latest day with data available, 6.9% were positive.
Over the last week of available data, DHHS has reported an average of 5.8% of tests as positive per day.
State health officials have said a rate of 5% or lower is necessary to control the spread of the virus.
The weekly average rate hasn’t been lower than 5% since March 18 and has been increasing over the last week.
No J&J vaccine at PNC Arena clinic this week
Wake County will not be offering the J&J vaccine at the county’s vaccination clinic at PNC Arena this week, Stacy Beard, external communications manager for Wake County, told The News & Observer.
The state has not allocated any J&J doses to Wake County this week, and the county has received only two shipments of the J&J vaccine since it was authorized for emergency use in early March, she said.
The J&J vaccine will be available at other clinics in the county this week.
The county allocated nearly 5,000 doses Thursday from previous shipments that will go to over two dozen community clinics in the area, including to pharmacies at select Harris Teeter grocery stores.
The county did receive 10,000 first doses of Pfizer this week, Beard said. Some of those doses will be available at the PNC Arena clinic, where vaccinations are by appointment only.
Wake County, along with UNC Health, temporarily halted J&J vaccinations due to safety concerns but resumed them on Friday when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded there are no safety issues with the vaccine.
COVID-19 data of the day
Case and hospitalization data reported by DHHS are preliminary and subject to change upon further investigation. Here are additional statistics reported Monday with changes since Friday*:
- Total cases: 935,061 (+5,655)
- Deaths: 12,290 (+42)
- Tests: 11,734,653 (+92,755)
- People hospitalized: 904 (-74)
- COVID-19 adult ICU patients: 223 (-23)
- Available ICU beds: 606 (+47)
- Available inpatient beds: 5,647 (+412)
- Patients on ventilators: 756 (-203)
Inpatient and ICU beds are not all used by COVID-19 patients, according to DHHS.
Deaths do not all occur on the date they are reported. DHHS updates its numbers as information becomes available. For example, according to the latest DHHS data, the deadliest day of the pandemic was Jan. 15 when 124 people died. The state originally reported that 108 people had died on Jan. 15.
*On March 26, DHHS began updating statewide COVID-19 metrics Monday through Friday only. Previously the state would update on Sunday and Saturday as well. Therefore, totals reported on Monday are changes since the previous Friday.
Vaccine statistics reported Monday:
- First doses arrived: 2,870,450
- First doses administered: 2,767,625 (96%)
- Second doses arrived: 2,094,905
- Second doses administered: 1,945,171 (93%)
- Single-shot doses arrived: 315,300
- Single-shot doses administered: 174,002 (55%)
Vaccine doses administered in North Carolina through the federal, long-term care program:
- First doses administered: 631,785
- Second doses administered: 309,004
- Single-shot doses administered: 44,688
- Total doses arrived: 1,457,790
- Total doses administered: 985,477 (68%)
Overall vaccine statistics:
- Total doses administered: 5,872,275
- Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,472,865
- Percent of population who have received at least one dose: 32.4%
- Percent of population fully vaccinated: 23.6%
- Percent of population 18 or older who have received at least one dose: 41.1%
- Percent of population 18 or older fully vaccinated: 30.1%
- Percent of population 65 or older who have received at least one dose: 74.1%
Percent of population 65 or older fully vaccinated: 68.2%
Breakdown of those fully vaccinated by race vs. percentage of total population:
- American Indian or Alaskan Native: 0.7% (1.7%)
- Asian or Pacific Islander: 3.1% (3.5%)
- Black or African American: 15.7% (23.1%)
- White: 72% (71.7%)
- Other: 5.4%
- Missing or undisclosed: 3.1%
By ethnicity:
- Hispanic: 4.2% (9.8%)
- Non-Hispanic: 88.4% (90.2%)
This story was originally published April 12, 2021 at 1:16 PM.