First Doses Of Vaccine Arrive In North Carolina: Gov. Cooper

CHARLOTTE, NC — At-risk healthcare workers in North Carolina are a step closer to getting additional protection from COVID-19. The state's initial allotment of vaccine has been delivered, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Monday.

"The first doses of COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in North Carolina," Cooper said, via social media. "It’s a limited supply for now, but this is a remarkable achievement for science and health. We all need to keep wearing a mask and acting responsibly while we get as many people vaccinated as fast as we can."

The initial shipment of 85,800 doses of the Pfizer-manufactured vaccine, which cleared federal hurdles for use over the weekend, was to be initially distributed to 11 North Carolina hospitals with ultra-cold storage needed for storage.

The 11 hospitals are Caldwell Memorial Hospital, Cape Fear Valley Health System, Hoke Hospital, Bladen County Hospital, CarolinaEast Medical Center, Catawba Valley Medical Center, Duke University Hospital, Henderson County Hospital Corporation, CMC Enterprise, UNC Medical Center and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

SEE ALSO: NC's Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution Plan: What You Need To Know

Vaccines, however, will likely not be widely available in the state until the springtime, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said last week.

Here's how North Carolina's vaccination plan will prioritize those most at risk:

• Initial supplies of vaccine will go to healthcare workers at high risk for exposure, including those directly caring for or cleaning areas used by COVID-19 patients
• Future vaccine shipments will then be distributed to additional hospitals and health departments for high-risk healthcare workers.
• Hospitals will stagger distributing vaccines to staff to help avoid potential staffing challenges should someone have an adverse reaction to the vaccine.
• The next round of vaccinations in North Carolina will be earmarked for those living and working in long term care facilities, such as nursing homes. These vaccinations will be administered by the federal government through a partnership with Walgreens and CVS.
• The long term care group is expected to begin receiving vaccines once the Moderna vaccine is federally authorized.
• Vaccinations of top priority health care workers and long term care residents is expected to continue through December and into January.
• The next prioritized group will be adults with two or more chronic conditions who are more likely to have severe illness from the virus, and others who are at risk, such as frontline workers. Those workers include police, teachers and child care workers.
• As more vaccine shipments arrive in the state, they will then be made available to anyone who wants one, at clinics, pharmacies and community vaccination events. Widespread availability is expected around the spring.
• The vaccine will be free, with any fees paid for by insurance companies or the government.

Last weeks, hospitals in the Charlotte metro region were already preparing for the imminent arrival of the vaccine. Atrium Health Care said Friday that it expects to receive the Pfizer vaccine within days and begin vaccinating healthcare workers as early as this week.

Novant Health's Presbyterian Medical Center is one location in the region that setting up to administer vaccines. The facility, which procured ultra-low temperature freezers, is expecting to receive 29,025 doses within 48 hours after the vaccine is fully approved federally.

"We're very excited at Novant Health and have high confidence that the vaccine is safe and effective and that the approval process is being followed," Sid Fletcher, the chief clinical officer for the Charlotte metro for Novant Health.

As exciting as a vaccine is, patience will be needed, he said.

"Please know, we are not out of the woods and we cannot let our guard down," Fletcher said. "We have this much-anticipated vaccine that we see right around the corner. Talking about vaccine, reading about vaccine doesn't get anyone inoculated. It's going to take a period of time," he said.