Hospitals start COVID shots for certain patients in the Charlotte area now
Some people age 75 or older will get COVID-19 vaccines Tuesday from Novant Health in its first “test-run” of patient vaccinations in the Charlotte area, according to hospital leaders.
Those patients will be the first Novant has vaccinated with the COVID-19 shot, although the hospital system has already vaccinated thousands of employees. The first patient shots are taking place in Matthews and also in Winston-Salem, Novant Chief Nursing Officer Nikki Nissen told reporters Tuesday.
Charlotte’s largest hospital system, Atrium Health, has also begun scheduling appointments for COVID-19 vaccines for eligible patients, the system said in a statement. More than 160,000 emails have been sent to Atrium patients who qualify for Phase 1b — anyone age 75 or older.
Atrium will begin vaccinating patients in Phase 1b at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Patients can sign up for an appointment through their account on the system’s MyAtriumHealth.
Eligible Novant patients — anyone age 75 or older — will receive a message through the hospital’s MyChart system Tuesday with details on vaccine appointments, Nissen said.
Novant vaccinations in the Charlotte-area will take place at a Matthews clinic this week — by appointment only — but more locations are expected to open in coming weeks, according to Novant.
As of Tuesday morning, Novant Health has vaccinated 11,114 employees across North Carolina and Virginia, Novant Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest said.
In Phase 1a of North Carolina’s vaccination plan, the state had first prioritized health care workers especially at-risk for COVID-19 exposure and long-term care facility staff and residents. Now, the state is moving to Phase 1b, which is split into three groups.
Group one of Phase 1b includes anyone 75 years old and up. In groups two and three, vaccines will be available to health care workers and frontline workers 50 and older first, then frontline workers and health care workers of any age. That includes first responders and people who work in agriculture, manufacturing, public transit, education and childcare.
Novant Health expects to be able to vaccinate about 800 to 1,000 patients a week across its system, Nissen said.
Restrictions still needed
But increased vaccine availability doesn’t mean Mecklenburg residents can stop following coronavirus restrictions, Novant’s Priest said.
“We are not out of the woods yet, with community spread at an all-time high,” Priest said.
Coronavirus hospitalizations have surged in Mecklenburg County in recent weeks.
Mecklenburg has set a record for the number of residents hospitalized with COVID-19 every day for the last seven days reported, from Dec. 28 through Jan. 3, according to county numbers released Tuesday.
And Novant’s COVID-19 case model predicts cases will continue to rise in the Charlotte area as hospitals begin to see the full effect of gatherings over Christmas and New Years, Priest said.
“The vaccine is going to make a big difference, but there are not enough doses yet for everyone,” he said.
Roll-out controversies
There already has been some controversy over the vaccine roll-out.
On Monday, Mecklenburg County announced it would hold its first public vaccine clinic at Bojangles Coliseum starting Wednesday. Vaccination appointments are open to anyone 75 and up.
But technology issues bedeviled many people age 75 and older trying to call hotlines to sign up for appointments in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.
And Atrium Health was criticized for its vaccine roll-out after some non-medical employees were given vaccine appointments in the first round of shot distribution.
The state has since clarified and updated its vaccine plan, and Atrium has updated its plan for employees. Now, employees working in non-patient-facing roles will be vaccinated in Phases 2-4 of the state’s plan.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 11:01 AM.
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