by Charlotte Smith
Bladen County received the first shipment of COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccines this week. However, according to reports, the virus continues to spread rapidly in the area, and local deaths have increased.
The Bladen County Health Department released their daily COVID-19 update today, reporting two more coronavirus related deaths this week over last week.
The update also shows an increase of 14 additional active COVID-19 cases in the county since yesterday. According to the Bladen County Health Department, there are a total of 190 active coronavirus cases with a total of 23 related deaths.
The North Carolina COVID-19 update shows around 104 new coronavirus deaths with around 6,325 new cases this week. The report shows a 70 percent increase over the numbers reported two weeks ago. These are record breaking numbers. View the local health department’s full report below.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper tweeted, Today’s COVID-19 metrics. He explained, “We are seeing some of the effects of Thanksgiving gatherings. Particularly concerning is the trajectory of North Carolinians hospitalized due to COVID-19. Don’t let weariness win – wear a mask, wash your hands often and wait 6 feet apart.”
Today’s COVID-19 metrics. We are seeing some of the effects of Thanksgiving gatherings. Particularly concerning is the trajectory of North Carolinians hospitalized due to COVID-19. Don’t let weariness win — wear a mask, wash your hands often and wait 6 feet apart. pic.twitter.com/5N7CMeVPWw
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) December 17, 2020
Although the FDA has approved COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use and they have been distributed in Bladen County, only healthcare workers are receiving the first vaccinations. According to officials, the effective rate of the two-dose vaccine is up to 95%; however, at this time, Pfizer has not released a vaccine protection time frame.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) explains, “It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.”
Bladen County Hospital received 975 vials of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccines on Tuesday for the Bladen County healthcare workers.
The Bladen County Health Department stated, “Vaccines are not expected for the general public until the first of the year. Once vaccines are available we will submit information to the media as well as post information on our Facebook page.”
The health agencies also released an infographic to explain who will receive the vaccines first. View the information below.
The health department is continuing to host no-cost vaccine testing drive-thru events through the end of December. Testing is held at the health department located at 300 Mercer Mill Road in Elizabethtown from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. View the schedule below.
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