As COVID-19 vaccine shipments have begun across the United States, the Moore County Health Department shared the most recent information regarding the availability of the vaccine for Moore County:
• At first, the supply of COVID-19 vaccine in the United States will be limited. Initial supplies of COVID-19 vaccine will be offered to healthcare personnel providing direct COVID-19 care and long-term care facility residents and staff. Hospitals are receiving vaccine for their staff directly from the manufacturer. FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital has recently begun receiving shipments of vaccine and has since started vaccinating their personnel who provide COVID-19 care. The federal government will be managing vaccinations for most staff and residents of long-term care facilities. Long-term care facilities include skilled nursing facilities and adult care homes. The federal government has created the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program with CVS and Walgreens to work with long-term care facilities to give vaccinations. That process should also begin soon.
• The order by which individuals are vaccinated will be based on a phased risk-based prioritization framework recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the States. A copy of that framework can be found here. Currently, the State of North Carolina is in the initial stages of “Phase 1a”.
• Local physicians are not part of the current vaccine distribution flow from federal and state government and do not have vaccine available for their patients.
• The Health Department has yet to receive a shipment of vaccine although we expect a small shipment soon. As vaccine is received, those prioritized as high-risk in phase 1a will be scheduled for vaccination by the Health Department.
• As the vaccine becomes more widely available in sufficient quantities, the Health Department plans to offer drive-through vaccinations for persons included in phase 1b. Phase 1b prioritization includes citizens with 2 or more chronic health conditions. This group will be vaccinated as soon as Phase 1a has been completed. Time frames are not set and are dependent upon vaccine supply and how quickly groups from Phase 1a can be vaccinated.
• As additional COVID-19 vaccine information becomes available, the Health Department will post updates on its website at www.moorecountync.gov/health.
• A listing of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the COVID-19 vaccine can be found here.
Contributed.
