North Carolina promises more vaccine doses for providers hit by shortfalls

[ County-by-county guide: Here’s when, where you can get the COVID-19 vaccine ]

The NCDHHS also released Tuesday’s COVID-19 metrics. The data showed 3,978 new cases of COVID-19 -- the first time that daily metric has been below 4,000 in more than a month.

Currently, 3,368 people across North Carolina are in the hospital with COVID-19.

Closer to home in Mecklenburg County, the number of average daily cases and hospitalizations are down. The percent of positive cases also dropped to 11.7%.

Frustrations build as local counties push for more doses

Healthcare systems and county health departments across our area are all fighting to get COVID-19 vaccine doses, but supply issues have been impacting the rollout.

Novant Health said it’s working with the state to figure out how many doses it will get and when.

Officials said supply issues from both federal and state officials have impacted their ability to get the vaccine out quickly.

[ ALSO READ: Transition to mass COVID-19 vaccination sites irks NC health systems ]

The healthcare system received just over 5,000 doses last week, while other state healthcare systems serving a similar population received more than 35,000 doses.

With the backlog of first dose vaccines being nearly cleared, Cohen warned that the coming week will look quite different.

She said the state will receive 120,000 new first doses from the federal government this week, which is less than half of the number of shots given in the past week. A large number of doses are committed to large-scale events planned several weeks back when the state was addressing the vaccine backlog, so Cohen said this coming week is going to “feel particularly light.”

Starting with this week’s allocation, the state plans to distribute 84,000 of the first doses to counties based on population. The remaining 36,000 doses will be used to balance vaccine distribution to counties and areas that need it most.

Linda Whitehurst is concerned about her 91-year-old mother who lives at an assisted-living home in Concord. The facility has been on lockdown since March.

Whitehurst said she doesn’t know if her mom will get the vaccine.

“She feels like she’s in prison, and she’s not the only one,” Whitehurst said. “I mean, it’s just not fair for the seniors to be put on the back burner while everybody else is getting their shots, and they still don’t even have a hint of when they’re going to get theirs.”

Providers will be given a baseline amount of first doses that they can expect for the next three weeks.

“While this has been hard on providers, we know that it’s also very hard on North Carolinians,” Cohen said. “Demand for vaccines vastly exceeds our supply. Limited supply may result in wait times, and sometimes delayed appointments, but everyone will have a chance when it’s their priority group is eligible and vaccine supplies, increase.”

[ Here’s everything you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine in North Carolina ]

She said state health officials are doing everything they can to distribute the vaccine efficiently, but there are some things they can’t control.

“There is very limited supply of vaccine coming into our state,” Cohen said. “Second, we have very little advance notice the federal government allocates and ships vaccine to North Carolina on a weekly basis, without advanced certainty of supply. Third, providers are given a 48-hour window on when even vaccine supplies are going to arrive, making it hard to plan clinics and schedule events.”

She said the state will continue to work to distribute vaccine as quickly as possible and to be transparent about where the vaccines are going and how they’re being used.

Mass vaccinations sites slowing down rollout in some area counties, health directors say

Local health directors say mass vaccination sites are cutting into vaccine supply in smaller counties. Some directors told Channel 9 it’s so bad, they didn’t get any doses this week.

Many said they have serious concerns about the inequity the mega-sites are creating because not everyone can travel to those mass vaccination sites.

“We want it to be equitable across the state. If it doesn’t you’ll have parts of the state unrepresented and no one wants that. The state doesn’t want that and we don’t want that,” Dr. David Priest with Novant Health said.

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The state’s diversion left Rowan County with 300 doses this week. Richmond County received 100. Lincoln and Gaston counties didn’t get any at all.

“These large-scale events look attractive,” said Davin Madden, health director in Lincoln County. “They don’t address rural North Carolina.”

Having access in rural communities is important, he said.

Madden said he is not a fan of the new distribution plan, because his department will have fewer shots to administer.

“I don’t even know if I understand it,” he said. “While I certainly understand that mass vaccination looks good for numbers, and we want to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible. However, when you start doing certain redistributions, it almost looks like you’re creating a certain competition in trying to get vaccine out when, really, my approach would be every county is in this together.”

The Lincoln County Board of Health is not canceling appointments that have been made.

“There are about 25,000 that are eligible and we get shipped 300 doses. It’s hard to process,” Rowan County Health Director Nina Oliver said.

In Lincoln County, the health director has asked that people who are eligible -- but healthy -- delay getting the vaccine to ensure that people at the highest risk have first dibs.

“As evident, the amount of allocation is variable and continues to make forecasting manpower and vaccine availability difficult to consistently predict. Our ability to expand our vaccination efforts is primarily limited by vaccine supply and marginally limited by staff resources,” Lincoln County Health Director Davin W. Madden stated in a press release.

Mecklenburg County received 1,950 doses. At a news conference Tuesday, health director Gibbie Harris said the county received extra doses last week, but not this week.

According to the state, 57,150 doses have been administered in Mecklenburg County so far.

Ricky Woods, of First Baptist Church West in Charlotte, has been an advocate for seniors and others in the community.

He is organizing a vaccine event at the church, but there will be no appointments.

“We anticipated there would be difficulties with appointments and getting through the system and, particularly, knew that that would be a difficulty for our senior population,” Woods told Channel 9.

[ ALSO READ: Handful of mass COVID-19 vaccination sites to be set up across NC, Cooper says ]

When Channel 9 asked Cohen about the impact of mass sites on local vaccine distribution, she said the events help ensure shots are given out as quickly and equitably as possible, but that the state is using a mix of strategies to reach that goal.

She acknowledged that she understands everyone can’t get to the sites, so the state has allocated $2.5 million in transportation money to get them there. She said the department is also working to host more events in communities that need them most.

Gaston County vaccinating nearly 50% more than planned

Gaston County leaders said they have enough vaccine doses for an upcoming clinic on Friday. Originally, they said they weren’t getting enough doses.

The Gaston Gazette reported that the county has scheduled 800 vaccination appointments each week but ends up serving closer to 1,000 at each event.

Gaston County leaders held a virtual town hall on Wednesday, listening to the many questions people in the community have, including what’s happening with the supply.

Because of supply, the county was not able to hold two vaccination clinics this week like they did last week. The good news is that everyone who registered to get vaccinated for this Friday will still be vaccinated.

Officials explained that the county was running ahead of schedule, at points vaccinating almost 50% more people than planned.

The chairman of the board of commissioners said Gaston County was vaccinating more people than Mecklenburg County, per capita.

Mayor Vi Lyles rolls up her sleeve, gets COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 has significantly impacted minorities, and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said she is trying to send a message that we have a vaccine that she believes is safe and everyone should get vaccinated when it’s their turn.

“I think that it’s important to be an example,” she said.

Lyles sat down and rolled up her sleeve on Tuesday, receiving her injection of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Novant Health Michael Jordan Clinic off Freedom Drive in west Charlotte.

The mayor is in the age group currently eligible to get the shot.

“For me to do this shows my willingness to step up and say you can get through chronic illness and COVID -- you just have to do it,” she said.

In Mecklenburg County, Black and Hispanic residents make up nearly 30% of all virus cases. Statewide, the number is even higher at 38%.

Lyles said getting the vaccine will help get people back to their normal lives and she’s calling on everyone to step up and roll up their sleeves as well.

“I ask my people, sisters and brothers and cousins and aunties, to not be afraid and step forward and be that example that we need leadership in this effort,” she said. ”COVID has taken a part of our hearts away. This vaccine is important to getting that back.”

The mayor said she felt fine after getting her first dose. She is scheduled to have her second dose on Feb. 17.