SHOT TRACKER: Has COVID-19 vaccine supply exceeded demand?

CHARLOTTE — It’s getting easier to get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Carolinas, but that may not be all good news.

Now that vaccines are open to everyone in both North Carolina and South Carolina, Channel 9 checked to see if supply is keeping up with demand.

When COVID-19 vaccines were first rolled out earlier this year, many people were essentially competing with one another to book an appointment, waiting weeks or months to get their shot. Waitlists at times were reportedly tens of thousands of people long.

Now, there are very few waitlists remaining and multiple hospitals in both states are reporting thousands of open vaccine appointments.

In many cases, supply has surpassed demand. Some providers said they can’t fill open vaccine appointments like they had been, and local health leaders are concerned.

While vaccine supply has increased significantly, 70% of North Carolinians still have not been fully vaccinated.

It’s important to note that not every provider is seeing the same thing. Not all places are having trouble filling their spots, but it’s clear that as vaccine supply has ramped up, it now exceeds the demand.

It has never been easier to get a COVID-19 appointment. Thousands are available over the next few days and some clinics are now allowing walk-ins just to fill their spots.

Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris said she’s concerned about thousands of appointments last weekend that went unclaimed.

“We are talking about individuals who probably are less concerned about getting vaccinated at this point,” she said. “That doesn’t mean they won’t, it just means they aren’t going to rush out and try to get the first appointment they can find. So, I think we have to be a little patient.”

Health officials fear another spike in cases could occur if communities do not reach herd immunity levels of vaccination. The specific vaccination percentage needed for herd immunity varies from virus to virus. For example, 95% is needed for measles while just 80% is needed for polio.

The percentage needed for COVID-19 is not yet known. The coronavirus variant first reported in the UK is more transmissible but not more severe, according to two new studies.

North Carolina saw its highest number of new positive COVID-19 cases for a Monday since the beginning of March. The percentage of positive tests also climbed to 6.9%.

Randolph Medical Pharmacy told Channel 9 its appointments are still booking up. In fact, they plan to expand hours into the evening so people can get shots after work or school.

“Our thought was, ‘If we can hold our pharmacy open a little later to accommodate people after work, that we should do that,’ so we are going to open that up next week,” said pharmacist Lauren Ward.

Randolph Medical Pharmacy is providing second doses of Pfizer and Moderna, regardless of where you got your first dose. They’re also holding vaccination clinics for groups or businesses with more than 20 people.

In the race to vaccinate, there will be another huge effort on Tuesday at Bank of America Stadium to get more people their shots. There are still appointments open, you just need to register and book on Atrium’s website.

Poll: More North Carolinians willing to get COVID-19 vaccine

Cox Media Group