According to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, the first COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in North Carolina. Bladen County Hospital is expected to be one of the first to receive a shipment of vaccines.
The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine was authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Friday. Then on Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made an official vote to allow the drug to be administered to people 16 years of age and older.
Gov. Cooper tweeted, “The first doses of COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in North Carolina. 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 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in North Carolina. 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.
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) December 14, 2020
At the time of publication, Ashely Dowless with Bladen County Hospital explained the shipment of COVID-19 vaccines is en route to the healthcare facility. Still, an announcement has not been made about the vaccines being available at the local site.
The Bladen County Health and Human Services did release the COVID-19 Update for today. There are a total of 156 active COVID-19 cases reported in Bladen County with six currently hospitalized due to the illness. View the full report below.
North Carolina healthcare facilities are expected to receive more than 85,000 doses of the vaccine from December 14 through December 18.
According to another tweet, “Atrium Health’s Medical Director of Infection Prevention Dr. Katie Passaretti just became the first person in North Carolina to be vaccinated for COVID-19.”
UPDATE: Atrium Health's Medical Director of Infection Prevention Dr. Katie Passaretti just became the first person in North Carolina to be vaccinated for COVID-19. https://t.co/RjfOoR17KF pic.twitter.com/k8ZGWnDM6p
— Atrium Health (@AtriumHealth) December 14, 2020
North Carolina Health and Human Services published information regarding the vaccines stating, “Those who need it most will get it first. A tested, safe and effective vaccine will be available to all who want it, but supplies will be limited at first. The best way to fight COVID-19 is to start first with vaccinations for those most at risk, then reach more people as the vaccine supply increases throughout 2021.”
Officials hope vials of vaccines will be distributed to all 100 counties in North Carolina by Christmas.
The Bladen County Health Department has scheduled no-cost Drive-Thru COVID-19 (coronavirus) testing events through this week. Testing is available each day this week from 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. unless weather prohibits the drive-thru testing.
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