COVID vaccine supply diverted to larger counties
Just last week, Swain and Macon county health officials lamented over a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines making it to them from Raleigh, and this week they have a better understanding of why.
In an email to Macon County commissioners, County Manager Derek Roland said he was told by the state that Macon’s vaccine allotment would remain the same — 200 doses a week — even though the county requested more.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services sent out a Vaccine Allocation Survey to counties on Jan. 19 asking all counties to ramp up to their maximum capacities. The Macon County Health Director Kathy McGaha committed to vaccinating 2,250 individuals in Macon County during Jan. 20-26, but then was told Jan. 22 Macon’s allocation would remain at 200 a week.