Vaccine allocations fulfilled
Clay County's COVID-19 death toll took a sharp spike in the course of five days. Clay County Health Department announced the deaths of nine residents between Friday, Jan. 29 and Tuesday, Feb. 2, including eight more residents at Clay County Care Center. The residents ranged in age from their early 50s to early 90s, with the majority being over the age of 80.
According to the health department, all nine suffered from preexisting conditions. A total of 20 Clay County residents have now died due to COVID-19, including 10 at the care center. The health department said all staff members at Clay County Care Center have fully recovered, while a handful of cases among residents remain.
"The Clay County Care Center has done a phenomenal job working through this unwanted scenario," the department said in a statement. "They continue to work diligently to provide the best care to both staff and residents. Although, this is not a situation that anyone wanted, we are proud of their quick efforts in response to the outbreak."
As of Tuesday, Clay County Health Department reported 41 active cases. Meanwhile, Public Health Nursing Supervisor Clarissa Rogers said the health department has administered almost all of the 900 dose 1 allocations it has received so far. "Just about all of our dose 1 allocations, your first dose, have just about been depleted," Rogers said. "They will send the exact same number of dose 2 allocations to ensure that those people get their second dose."
That follows the trend across the state. North Carolina reported administering 99 percent of its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine before the end of January and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked the state sixth in the nation for total doses administered, 12th for first doses administered per 100,000 people and 17th for total doses administered per 100,000 people.
“North Carolina vaccine providers have done a phenomenal job serving the people of our state," said North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. "This is incredibly hard work and they’ve shown that they are both up to the task and committed to partnering in new ways so that we vaccinate North Carolinians as fast as possible. These national rankings are the result of the strong work of our entire vaccine team."
Lack of supply continues to be the key hurdle in the vaccine rollout. Rogers said 1,500 people remain on the health department's vaccination waiting list in Clay County. Anyone can call and ask to be placed on the waiting list, regardless of age group, but eligibility is still subject to the state's phased roll out guidelines.
For the next three weeks, the state is guaranteeing baseline vaccine allocations to providers. Approximately 90,000 “baseline” doses are allocated based on population data from the State Center for Health Statistics to provide vaccines to all 100 counties. While public fears about the vaccine persist, public health officials and government officials alike continue to encourage people to get vaccinated as soon as they are able.
"These vaccines save lives and we encourage all North Carolinians to roll up their sleeves when it's their turn," Governor Roy Cooper said Tuesday on Twitter. Rogers said Clay County Health Department has not experienced any type of serious anaphylactic reaction in any of the almost 900 residents who have been vaccinated. The most common side effects are flu-like system symptoms and soreness at the injection site.