Benson, NC – A COVID-19 drive-thru vaccine clinic at West Johnston High School reached capacity on Wednesday, just 10 minutes after it opened.
Cars were in line for the clinic before 6 am, and the lines only got longer in the morning. At 10:10, the team had to refuse the cars.
The clinic, which has held previous events, has been praised by community members in recent weeks for its efficiency in vaccinating people quickly. As a result, Wake County, Harnett and Wilson health officials have studied their procedure.
The drive-thru clinic opened at 10 am on a first-come, first-served basis. No consultation was necessary, but only those seeking the first doses of the vaccine were allowed to attend.
Another COVID-19 vaccine clinic opens in Fayetteville on Wednesday at 9 am at the Crown Expo Center. The vaccines will be available there for people who need the first and second doses of the vaccine.
Before 1pm, appointments must be made online to the clinic. After 1 pm, vaccines will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis.
In the Triangle, the administration of the vaccine is continuous, but a slower process. Wake County received 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday and will receive the same amount for each of the next two weeks, but the number is less than half what the county ordered.
As of Monday morning, there were still more than 80,000 people on Wake County’s vaccination waiting list.
Authorities in Wake and Durham counties are finalizing plans for similar high-capacity vaccination events at Research Triangle Park and possibly at PNC Arena in Raleigh. State officials would have to approve the plan and allocate doses to make it possible.
The state is dividing about 90,000 doses a week between health departments and hospitals, providing each with a base amount. The remaining 55,000 doses per week will be sent to communities with a large number of people aged 65 and over who have low income or live in rural or marginalized communities, officials said.
Some doses will also be directed to high-capacity vaccination clinics, such as the one held on Saturdays and Sundays at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, where more than 20,000 people were vaccinated – about 800 an hour.