COVID-19 in NC: NCDHHS partners with community groups to create nine walk-in family vaccination sites

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with community groups to create nine walk-in Family Vaccination Sites across the state to help families get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Through Thanksgiving, any adult who brings someone to a Family Vaccination Site for their first dose will receive $25 in the form of a prepaid Mastercard to offset the time and transportation costs of getting vaccinated.

Vaccinating more family members against COVID-19 is possible now that the FDA authorized and the CDC recommended a lower-dose Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Children are vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, and the vaccine provides a safe, tested way to help keep them healthy.

Family Vaccination Sites serve communities that do not have easy access to pediatric vaccination, and they are intended for the whole family. With locations from community centers to churches, they are designed to make it easy and comfortable to get COVID-19 shots, with evening and weekend hours, live Spanish interpretation, and community health workers on-site to answer questions. Primary vaccinations, boosters and the Pfizer vaccine for children 5 to 11 are all available.

Sites are located in the following counties: Buncombe, Burke, Forsyth, Lenoir, Pasquotank, Robeson, Sampson, Vance and Wilson. A full list of participating sites with operating days and hours can also be found at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines/kids. No appointments are necessary, and all vaccines are free, regardless of insurance or vaccination status.

Locations were chosen based on a combination of factors including data on the number of pediatric providers in the area, anticipated pediatric demand and geographic diversity.

For more information about how vaccines for children work and where you can find a vaccination appointment nearby, click to MySpot.nc.gov. The North Carolina Vaccine Help Center at (888) 675-4567 can also help you make an appointment. It is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

Area, state vaccination totals

Statewide, approximately 60 percent of the total population have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine with 56 percent of the total population having been fully vaccinated, according to statistics from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as of Monday, Nov. 15.

The organization reports that more than 11.77 million total doses of vaccine have been administered in the state as of Nov. 15, noting that of individuals 65 years of age and older, 93 percent of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 90 percent have received their full allotment. Of individuals 12 and older, 70 percent of the state’s residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine, with 66 percent being completely vaccinated.

Locally, NCDHHS data indicates that Avery County has administered a total of 9,535 first doses of vaccine, or 54 percent of Avery County residents who have received their first-dose vaccine as of November 15, with 51 percent of the overall county population, or 8,935 individuals, having received a second-dose vaccination.

Click to https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines for more information on vaccines and vaccine distribution statewide, and to learn more about North Carolina’s vaccine rollout, click to YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov.

Latest local, state and national COVID-19 statistics

As of Monday, Nov. 15, according to available dashboard data from the NCDHHS, the total number of coronavirus cases since March 2020 are 1,506,576 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19. NCDHHS reports that 18,437 people have passed away in connection with COVID-19 since March 2020. NCDHHS reported on Nov. 15 that Avery County has 2,823 total positive community cases. The department reports Avery with 39 deaths associated with the virus.

Over the past seven days ending November 14, Toe River Health District reports 27 new positive cases, 38 active positive cases, 79 total contacts and 21 total deaths from Aug. 1 to Oct. 3, 2021. TRHD also reports 23 outbreak positives in long-term care that are not included in the aforementioned active positive cases (an increase of five in the same long-term care facility from the previous week).

According to NCDHHS Dashboard data on Nov. 15, Avery County reports 43.3 cases per 10,000 residents over the previous 14-day period, In comparison, Mitchell County reports 36.1 cases per 10,000 residents, while Yancey County reports 35.4 cases per 10,000 residents. Watauga County reports 21.7 cases per 10,000 residents, while Ashe County reports 21.3 cases per 10,000 residents during the same 14-day period.

“Public health staff is working to complete the investigations and they are contacting close contacts to contain the spread of disease,” TRHD reported. “The Yancey, Mitchell and Avery County health departments will keep the public informed by announcing any additional cases that may arise through our local media partners.”

Mitchell County reported a total of 2,117 positive cases and 21 deaths on Nov. 15 according to NCDHHS, while TRHD reports 25 new positives and 28 active positives from Nov. 8 to 14, with 31 total contacts and seven deaths in the county from Aug. 1 to Oct. 3. NCDHHS reports Yancey County with 2,899 total cases as of Nov. 15 with 32 deaths, while TRHD reports 42 new positives and 35 active positive cases, with 61 total contacts and 12 total deaths from Aug. 1 through Oct. 3.

Nationwide, Johns Hopkins University & Medicine reports more than 253.8 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with the U.S. totaling 47.2 million cases in the nation as of Nov. 15. Johns Hopkins reports that the United States has experienced 764,363 deaths related to COVID-19 as of Monday, Nov. 15.

The N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health, reporting hospitals and commercial labs report more than 19.77 million completed tests as of Monday, Nov. 15, according to NCDHHS.

The estimate of people presumed to have recovered from the virus as of November 8 is more than 1,454,082 statewide, with the estimate provided each Monday afternoon by NCDHHS. NCDHHS estimates a median time to recovery of 14 days from the date of specimen collection for non-fatal COVID-19 cases who were not hospitalized, or if hospitalization status is unknown. The estimated median recovery time is 28 days from the date of specimen collection for hospitalized non-fatal COVID-19 cases.

In neighboring counties, Watauga County reports 6,120 positive tests, with 57 active cases and 40 deaths among residents, while Ashe County reports 3,358 positive cases, with 21 active cases and 57 deaths as of Nov. 15, according to AppHealthCare data.

In Tennessee, Johnson County reports 3,730 cases with 50 deaths, while Carter County reports 10,631 cases and 221 deaths as of Nov. 15, according to statistics from the Tennessee Department of Health.

Caldwell County reports 13,739 positive tests as of Nov. 15 with 217 deaths, while Wilkes County has 10,827 reported cases and 187 deaths, according to NCDHHS Dashboard data.

NCDHHS reports McDowell County with 8,746 cases and 133 deaths. Burke County reports 15,981 cases and 241 deaths attributed to the virus, according to NCDHHS.

Statewide, the top four counties reporting total positive cases are Mecklenburg County (159,913), Wake County (131,796), Guilford County (69,391) and Forsyth County (52,798), the sum of which comprises 27.5 percent of all confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in North Carolina, according to Nov. 15 NCDHHS statistics.

The reported testing numbers could be incomplete due to differences in reporting from health departments and other agencies. Sources include Toe River Health District, AppHealthCare, NCDHHS, Caldwell County Health Department and Tennessee Department of Health.

Updated news and information on the coronavirus pandemic and the state’s response can be found by clicking to covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard.