Five cheerful third-grade Boiling Springs teachers shouted with joy after receiving their first COVID vaccine doses at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds Saturday. You couldn t ask for a better experience to get a shot, said Kathy Miller, one of the third-grade teachers. They were friendly and made you feel relaxed.
Educators started lining up at the top of the hill on East Marion Street in Shelby to get their first doses of the COVID vaccine.
Cleveland County Public Health Center partnered with Cleveland County Schools and Pinnacle Classical Academy for the mass teacher vaccination event.
The state bases access to the vaccine on how many doses can be administered, said Tiffany Hansen, Cleveland County health director. This event targeted teachers, many of whom recently returned to full-time in-class instruction.
Vaccine allocations improve for Cleveland County
At least in the short term, those numbers appear to be improving.
The Cleveland County Public Health Center announced on Wednesday it will have a little over 2,000 vaccines to distributes the first week of March. In order to schedule appointments for those shots the department opened its vaccine appointment line on Thursday and Friday of this week to schedule appointments.
Here are a few things to know:
1. Who is getting vaccinated:
North Carolina is still in vaccination group three, which includes all teachers, childcare workers and certain front line essential workers.
Vaccination efforts will focus on all teachers and childcare providers, as well as those in vaccine groups one and two until March 10. After that date, vaccines will be available to front line workers in eight different categories - critical manufacturing, education, essential goods, food and agriculture, government and community services, healthcare and public h
Cleveland County designated as red COVID county
A wave of coronavirus cases in Cleveland County after the Thanksgiving holiday has health officials preparing for another surge during the Christmas season. Unfortunately, we do expect to see an increase in cases following the holidays, as this is a time when people are more likely to participate in gatherings with friends and family, said DeShay Oliver, deputy director of the Cleveland County Public Health Center.
Public health officials are encouraging people to keep their holiday gatherings small and to social distance with masks on while meeting indoors. Health officials say individuals also should consider getting tested before going to or hosting a get-together.