Durham, NC – With new daily cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina close to record highs, the vaccine distribution process is receiving more urgency.
But the vaccine promise is advancing more slowly in some counties than in others.
Although some counties have started vaccinating people aged 75 and over, Durham is still in Phase 1A, vaccinating health workers and those in long-term care facilities. Only a third of the vaccines have been administered.
Durham County received 3,200 doses of the Modern vaccine, and on Friday afternoon they administered 810. About 16% were transferred to other medical facilities.
This means that about 59% still remain on the shelves.
By comparison, Wake County has administered 2,479 of the 3,900 doses and is preparing to enter Phase 1B next week. Still, Wake County is moving more slowly than other neighboring counties.
The director of the Durham County Department of Health has not yet given an interview; however, it seems that part of the reason for Durham’s slower pace is his more measured and methodical approach.
At the last meeting of the Durham Recovery and Renewal Task Force, Health Director Rod Jenkins reported that many factors influence the current pace of the vaccination process.
“We are taking our time to make sure that we are able to move to the next stage in a very safe and effective manner,” said Jenkins.
Jenkins said that each individual vaccination requires time and care – including screening, maintaining a space for social distance and monitoring each vaccinated person for a safe period of time before sending them home.
“I have seen news from other counties that have our dear elderly people waiting in long lines, getting up at 4 am and waiting for hours to get the vaccine because of the high demand,” he said.
“We don’t want to be careful at random of our most vulnerable citizens. We want to make sure that we do it right,” he said.
Jenkins called the rhythm a balancing act between scheduling, screening, documentation and process operations – with one of the biggest concerns in ensuring that no vaccines are wasted.
The health department has received doses of the Pfizer vaccine and will begin administering them this week.
There is still no deadline for when Phase 1B will begin in Durham; however, a media roundtable scheduled for Tuesday morning may provide more answers.
Although the county health department did not start Phase 1B, Duke Health started accepting consultations.
If you need more information on how to access a COVID vaccine in your county, WRAL has created a reference guide with county by county information.