Who will get COVID-19 vaccines first in Charlotte? Here are answers to FAQ.
Charlotte-area hospitals have begun the first wave of COVID-19 vaccinations, days after the FDA gave approval to the Pfizer coronavirus shot.
On Monday, Atrium Health reported it was the first health system in North Carolina to administer an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine.
Atrium’s Medical Director of Infection Prevention Dr. Katie Passaretti was the first person in the state to get the approved vaccine, the hospital system said on Twitter Monday.
Novant Health expects to receive the coronavirus vaccine on Thursday.
As COVID-19 vaccine developers edge closer to FDA approval, Charlotte-area hospitals are getting prepared — and it’s possible vaccine distribution could start this year.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.
Emergency Use Authorizations let the FDA allow for the use of unapproved medical treatments, speeding up the vaccine approval process.
A second COVID-19 vaccine, developed by biotechnology company Moderna, is expected to be approved by the FDA soon.
Here’s what is known so far about COVID-19 vaccines becoming available in Charlotte.
Where will the vaccine be in Charlotte?
Both of Charlotte’s major hospital systems, Atrium Health and Novant Health, are approved to distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
Atrium has not announced how many doses of the Pfizer vaccine it received Monday.
Novant expects to receive nearly 7,000 doses of the vaccine in its first allocation, according to the hospital system.
And Mecklenburg County Public Health expects to receive vaccines starting the week of Dec. 21, Director Gibbie Harris said.
As vaccines become more widely distributed, it’s possible more Charlotte-area health care providers could begin offering COVID-19 vaccines.
How much will a COVID-19 vaccine cost?
Any Charlotte-area health providers who receive vaccines from the state through the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan must agree to provide the vaccine at no cost to the patient, according to the DHHS spokeswoman.
Patients with insurance could still see administration costs billed to their insurance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When can I get vaccinated in North Carolina?
The state has outlined a phased plan for vaccine distribution among North Carolinians, prioritizing health care workers and people at highest risk for developing severe complications from COVID-19.
During Phase 1a, which will focus on vaccinating health care workers and medical first responders, the state expects to vaccinate roughly 140,000 to 161,000 people, according to the state vaccination plan.
Residents and staff in long-term care settings, adults with more than one chronic condition, and people older than 65 in congregate living settings, like jails and homeless shelters, will be prioritized for vaccination in Phase 1b, according to the plan. In that phase, the state expects to vaccinate around 727,000 to 951,000 people.
Phase 2 of the vaccination distribution plan will focus on people in congregate living settings who are younger than 65, health care workers not included in the first phase, frontline workers at high risk for exposure or who have chronic health conditions, as well as adults with chronic conditions and people older than 65. The state expects to vaccinate up to 1.18 to 1.57 million people in that phase.
Many children will be eligible to receive a vaccine during Phase 3. In Phase 3, the state could vaccinate roughly 574,000 to 767,000 people, including remaining frontline workers and workers in critical industries, as well as K-12 and college students.
The rest of the population of North Carolina will be included in Phase 4, which could involve vaccinating 3.6 to 4 million people.
How many vaccines will be available?
Pfizer has said it expects to produce up to 50 million vaccine doses globally in 2020, and up to 1.3 billion by the end of 2021. And Moderna expects to have roughly 20 million vaccine doses ready to ship in the U.S. by the end of this year.
The state has said it expects to receive roughly 85,000 doses of the vaccine in its first shipment.
How many doses will I need?
Both the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine require two doses. But each company’s vaccine is on a different timeline.
The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine will be given three weeks after the first — Moderna’s two doses are spaced four weeks apart.
Are the vaccines safe?
No serious safety concerns have been noted during either vaccines’ development.
Atrium infectious disease expert Dr. Lewis McCurdy said patients could see some minor side effects from the vaccine, mostly related to the injection process, like pain or fever.
Moderna has reported some participants have experienced some pain at the injection site and Pfizer has reported some participants reported some fatigue or headaches after the injection.
Why do Charlotte hospitals need special freezers?
Both Novant and Atrium have purchased refrigeration units to store the Pfizer vaccine. That’s because the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at extremely low temperatures — between minus 70 to minus 80 degrees Celsius.
Atrium has purchased refrigeration units that could hold up to 300,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, Atrium CEO Gene Woods has said.
And Novant has purchased enough ultra-low temperature freezers to store about 500,000 doses, Novant’s Chief Pharmacy Officer Becky Bean told the Observer.
The low temperatures needed to store the Pfizer vaccine could make distribution of the vaccine difficult. But both Novant and Atrium say they will be able to transport the vaccine locally using dry ice.
The Moderna vaccine doesn’t require the same ultra-low temperatures as the Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna vaccine can be kept in long-term storage at minus 20 degrees Celcius.
Still have COVID-19 vaccine questions? Send them to hsmoot@charlotteoberver.com.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 8:30 AM.
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