‘Historic moment.’ 4,000+ health workers already vaccinated in Charlotte area.
North Carolina’s health care workers are the first to be vaccinated against COVID-19, making the first wave of vaccine recipients overwhelmingly white, young and female.
The state health department this week released data on where the vaccine has been used so far in North Carolina and demographic statistics on who got the doses. It shows that 81% of recipients are white, 62% are between the ages of 25 and 49, and 63% are women.
The disparity is likely due to the limited use of the vaccine so far, with front-line health care workers given first priority — many of whom are white, young, or female.
Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, a Novant Health physician and member of the North Carolina Vaccine Advisory Council, said those demographics are understandable — for now.
“When you look at the majority of nurses and physicians, we [Black people] make up a smaller percentage of health care providers. I believe that healthcare workers should be getting the vaccine first, and the majority of them are going to be young, white females,” she said. “That’s quite understandable.”
The Mecklenburg County health department received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine — containing 975 doses — on Tuesday, and has already administered 20 doses.
As the number of coronavirus cases in North Carolina continues to skyrocket, about 24,500 people have received the first dose of the vaccine statewide. According to N.C. Department of Health and Human Services data on Tuesday, 2,081 people have received it who live in Mecklenburg County — third only to Wake and Durham counties in number of vaccine recipients. However, officials noted there can be a 72-hour lag in data reported to state.
The Charlotte region has been particularly hard hit by the virus, with most surrounding counties seeing positivity rates above the state’s average of 11.1%, based on DHHS data updated Tuesday.
There have been, since March, nearly 490,000 coronavirus cases in North Carolina, and since November, the number of new infections have been soaring, along with hospitalizations. More than 6,000 people in the state have died, including 519 in Mecklenburg, as of late Tuesday.
Vaccine doses by county
NC Gov. Roy Cooper said at a news conference Tuesday that the state has received a total of 60,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 176,000 of the Moderna vaccine. These figures, which will be updated again by the health department next Tuesday, show where the first doses were administered, based on the county of residence of the recipient.
▪ Mecklenburg: 2,081
▪ Cabarrus: 190
▪ Gaston: 480
▪ Union: 259
▪ Iredell: 352
▪ Catawba: 689
▪ Lincoln: 114
▪ Cleveland: 108
▪ Stanly: 24
▪ Rowan: 67
“Supplies of vaccines are very, very limited for now,” Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen said.
In the spring, the Observer reported the virus was disproportionately affecting Charlotte’s Black and Latinx communities. Advocates for marginalized populations say it’s because poverty and systemic oppression makes them more vulnerable to the virus — more likely to get it, working essential jobs, and less likely to receive the help they need to recover.
Just 8% of vaccine recipients in North Carolina so far are Black, while 4% are Hispanic.
Hispanic people comprise less than 10% of the state’s population, but a quarter of the state’s COVID-19 cases.
Garmon-Brown said she believes the people who receive the vaccine will diversify as North Carolina continues to vaccinate residents in phases.
“I do believe it will even out,” she said. “I’m an optimist on this one.”
Pfizer, Moderna vaccines
Both major health systems in Charlotte, Novant Health and Atrium Health, have received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Atrium has also received their first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine this week and Novant expects a shipment as well. The Moderna vaccine is more easily stored and transported.
No one in the state has received the vaccine’s second dose. Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are given in two injections. Pfizer’s are spaced three weeks apart, while Moderna’s are four weeks apart.
Nearly 4,200 Novant Health employees have been immunized as of Wednesday morning, according to officials.
Novant’s goal is to immunize 1,000 people per day, starting with healthcare workers who have the highest COVID-19 exposure rate, said Dr. David Priest, an infectious disease specialist, in a call with reporters.
Immunizations will pause on Christmas, but resume the following day. Vaccine clinics will stay open on Saturday and Sundays for at least the next eight weeks.
After a few initial logistical hiccups, Priest said vaccinations are “going incredibly well.”
There haven’t been any significant safety events, such as severe allergic reactions, among Novant employees vaccinated, Priest said. After receiving his first dose, the specialist says he had mild soreness in his arm.
Mecklenburg County health department
Mecklenburg County Public Health, in addition to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, has also received an ultra-cold freezer to properly store the vaccine. The county was originally slated to first receive the Moderna vaccine.
Public Health Director Gibbie Harris has said emergency medical technicians, paramedics, health care workers, long-term care facility staff and residents will be prioritized in what’s known as Phase 1a of distribution, as supplies remain extremely limited.
Jeanne Williams, the county’s immunization program manager, was the first of 20 people to be vaccinated by Public Health on Tuesday, officials said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This is a historic moment for Public Health,” said Dr. Meg Sullivan, the county’s medical director, said in the statement. “However, this is only the first step. The vaccination campaign will be lengthy, and we all must maintain public health measures including wearing masks, practicing social distancing and avoiding gatherings with individuals outside of our immediate household.”
It’s unclear how many county employees may be vaccinated this week, with Public Health closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas and Dec. 28. But officials say Mecklenburg’s goal is to use its vaccine allotment within 10 days.
Public Health is also preparing for potential delivery of Moderna vaccines, which don’t require special freezers.
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 11:38 AM.
