The first COVID-19 vaccinations released to the public continue to stir controversy and with that day shortly approaching for health care workers, we now know how it will be administered: another phased approach of combating the coronavirus.
Onslow County Manager Sharon Russell said Monday afternoon the first batch of vaccines should be arriving within the next few days for the health care workers who come in contact with coronavirus patients.
Onslow County Health Department and Onslow Emergency Services are in the process of planning for future phases of vaccine administration, according to a news release. Listed among those earlier phases are nursing homes, law enforcement and public safety essential employees.
The only question is, when? And maybe, where.
County health departments say they have plans in place for how distribution will take place when their time comes.
The Pfizer vaccine was expected to be approved on December 10th when the FDA met to consider its emergency use application; when that approval comes North Carolina is expected to receive upwards of 85,000 doses that will be used for Phase 1 vaccinations – that is, to frontline healthcare workers, nursing home workers, and nursing home residents.
That sounds like a lot of vaccines, but it’s got to be divided across the state, and its targeted audience includes a statewide healthcare force of 276,020 and 36,148 residents in certified nursing facilities – that, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics and KFF.org.