Mayor Hardy among six who receive vaccine first in Lenoir County
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
Not one, but six people were the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine in Lenoir County to develop immunity to COVID-19.
Three physicians, a critical care nurse, a pharmacist, and a security guard, who also serves as the mayor of Kinston, rolled up their sleeves to get the vaccine Thursday, Dec. 17, at UNC Lenoir Health Care.
Kinston Mayor Dontario Hardy, Dr. Rob Gallaher, Dr. Claire Paris, Dr. Varun Chukka, pharmacy operations manager Jessica Cunningham, and director of critical care Brandy Burd were selected to be the first recipients among the 901 front line employees at UNC Lenoir, who will all receive the vaccine, fighting against the coronavirus.
Kinston Community Health Center could see a vaccine arrive by January or February
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
Almost two months after Lisa Wallace took on a new job, the community health center CEO found herself applying for a newly developed vaccine amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Wallace became the CEO of the Kinston Community Health Center in October and applied for the Pfizer vaccine right after Thanksgiving for the center’s high-risk patients to develop immunity to the coronavirus.
However, KCHC may not see the arrival of the vaccine until January or even February.
“We don’t really know exactly what that means,” Wallace said. “It could mean a month from now or two months from now, but once the hospitals are supplied and long-term care then we will be the next stage.”
COVID-19 vaccine arrives at UNC Lenoir Health Care
Kinston/Jones Free Press (kfp)
The first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine arrived at UNC Lenoir Health Care Thursday morning, and some staff say they are not nervous about taking it.
A fairly small box arrived at the hospital around 9:30 a.m. and was placed in a room on the first floor near the pharmacy department. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services grouped UNC Lenoir in Phase 1a for healthcare workers to receive the allocated 975 doses first.
UNC Lenoir pharmacy director Dale Hardy and pharmacy operations manager Jessica Cunningham are among a few of the front line employees who will take the vaccine on Thursday around 3 p.m. They both said they feel comfortable taking the vaccine to develop immunity to COVID-19.
We ve got to take it, Williams said. We ve got to be the example.
Joey Smith, the assistant director for environmental services, is set to get the vaccine this week. I thought about it from when I first found it was offered about 2 weeks. I talked to doctors, my doctor, other people who said yes to get it and listen to their reasons for saying yes to get it. And of course talked to my family, my wife and make sure everybody was comfortable on me receiving the vaccine too, he said.
Duke worker set to get vaccine this week says he s nervous but excited
receive 2,925 doses in the first week, with
vaccinations starting as soon as Tuesday. Combined, UNC Health locations will receive more than 14,000 doses of the vaccine in the first week.
WakeMed Raleigh and Cary hospitals are expected to receive 3,900 doses between the two campuses.
Duke University Hospital is expecting 2,925 doses that will be stored in their ultra-cold freezers with vaccinations
starting Tuesday.
The
Durham VA Health Care System announced Friday that it is one of 37 VA sites to receive initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine the VA is also North Carolina s only Veterans health care system to receive doses. However, the VA has not specified how many doses it will be receiving.