Meck Co. health officials prepare to administer Pfizer booster shots starting Monday

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Mecklenburg County health officials said they are preparing to administer Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots to those eligible starting Monday.

The announcement comes after the booster recommendation from the FDA’s scientific advisory committee and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The booster shot was recommended for those who are 65 or older or are at high risk of severe disease. The CDC has also recommended a booster shot for frontline workers.

“The guidance from the CDC on eligibility for third doses of the Pfizer vaccine was published last night and is slightly different from the guidance that was provided by their Advisory Committee yesterday afternoon. While we are awaiting additional clinical guidance from the CDC and specific guidance from NC DHHS, Mecklenburg County Public Health will be prepared to provide third doses of the Pfizer vaccine to eligible individuals on Monday, September 27 at all public health vaccine sites,” county health director Gibbie Harris said in a statement.

Health officials said the booster shots will be given at all public health vaccinations sites.

For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine and booster availability in Mecklenburg County, click here, or call the Public Health COVID-19 hotline at 980-314-9400.

Novant Health also announced that it will start administering COVID-19 booster shots on Monday. Here are locations that will accept eligible individuals by appointment only:

• Novant Health Medical Group – Hanes (196 Hanes Mall Circle, Winston-Salem, NC 27103) is open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Novant Health Medical Group – East Mecklenburg (6070 East Independence Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28212) is open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Novant Health Medical Group – Huntersville (17220 Northcross Drive, Suite 110, Huntersville, NC 28078) is open Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Novant Health Medical Group – Salisbury (J.F. Hurley YMCA 828 Jake Alexander Blvd. W Salisbury, NC 28147) is open Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Select Novant Health primary care clinics
• Retail pharmacies and others also will offer booster doses

On Friday, Mecklenburg County reported that it has seen a slight decrease in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, with an average of 10.1% testing positive. Earlier in September, an average of 13.1% tested positive.

The county currently has a mask mandate in place, and the end date for the countywide order isn’t until the positivity rate dips to 5% for 30 days, or whenever the county rescinds it.

Mecklenburg County reported that over the past week, an average of 388 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19, an increase from previous weeks.

As of Friday, there have been 148,031 COVID-19 cases in the county since the start of the pandemic and 1,153 deaths due to the virus.

55% of Mecklenburg County residents are now fully vaccinated.

Highlights about the 147,474 COVID-19 cases reported in Mecklenburg County as of September 22, 2021 include:

• During the past week, an average of 473 laboratory confirmed infections per day were reported compared to the 14-day average of 495 confirmed infections. This represents a decrease over the last 14 days. These data are based on Mecklenburg resident cases reported to MCPH.
• During the past week, an average of 388 individuals with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infections were hospitalized at acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County. This represents a decrease trend over the last 14 days. These data are based on daily census counts from acute care facilities in Mecklenburg County reporting to MCPH.
• During the past week, an average of 10.1 percent of individuals who were tested in Mecklenburg County were positive for COVID-19. This represents a slight decrease trend over the last 14 days. These data only include ELRs for molecular (PCR) tests submitted to NC DHHS for laboratories electronically submitting negative and positive COVID-19 results.
• One thousand-one hundred-fifty deaths due to COVID-19 occurred among reported cases.
• Almost all deaths were among older adults (≥ 60 years), 31 deaths occurred in adults ages 20 to 39 and 182 deaths were adults ages 40 to 59.

• All deaths, except thirty-six, occurred among adults with underlying chronic illnesses.
• Almost half were non-Hispanic Whites. The disparity in COVID-19 deaths among non-Hispanic Whites is related to differences in race/ethnicity of residents of long-term care (LTC) facilities actively experiencing an outbreak.
• Nearly 40 percent of deaths were connected to active outbreaks at long-term care (LTC) facilities.
• Among deaths not connected to outbreaks at long-term care facilities, nearly 2 in 3 were non-White, with 40 percent being non-Hispanic Black. As previously noted, these disparities are largely driven by higher rates of underlying chronic conditions that increase risk of severe complications due to COVID-19 infection among these communities.
• Between March 22, 2021 and September 23, 2021, MPCH received and confirmed reports of 482 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated residents (<1% of fully vaccinated residents). This does not represent all breakthrough cases, as these are based on self-report during case investigations following COVID-19 diagnosis. Vaccination status is confirmed using the NC COVID-19 Vaccination Management System (CVMS).

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