Governor Roy Cooper visited a drive-thru vaccine clinic hosted by the Nash County Health Department today to encourage North Carolinians to get their shot to protect themselves and their communities. In addition to administering regular first and second vaccine doses, today is the first day that the department is distributing additional shots of the vaccine.
“It’s great to see North Carolinians get their doses of this lifesaving shot, and even better to see those who are immunocompromised get an additional shot for further protection,” said Governor Cooper. “The more people we get vaccinated, the sooner we can turn the final corner on this pandemic.”
The Nash County Health Department is focused on making it easy for everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Recipients can stay in their car during the entire vaccination process. The North Carolina National Guard is also helping with the clinic’s data entry and logistics.
“We feel that COVID vaccinations are our primary defense against the spread of coronavirus, even though the 3Ws are still very important,” said Bill Hill, Nash County Health Director. “Today’s vaccination clinic was one of many that we have conducted since late last December. Quite frankly, we viewed this vaccine as a very nice Christmas gift.”
On Friday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released new data showing that unvaccinated people were 15.4 times more likely to die from COVID-19 during the four-week period ending August 21, 2021. With the more contagious Delta variant spreading across the state, Governor Cooper continues to urge North Carolinians to get their COVID-19 vaccine.
To date, North Carolina has administered more than 10.4 million doses of the vaccine. Sixty-five percent of adults have received at least one shot, including 88 percent of North Carolinians ages 65 and older. Sixty percent of adults have been fully vaccinated.
People can learn more about the state’s vaccine distribution at myspot.nc.gov (English) or Vacunate.nc.gov (Spanish). Use NCDHHS’ online tool Find a Vaccine Location to find a nearby vaccine site. Call the state’s COVID-19 vaccine hotline at 888-675-4567.
Video footage of this event will be available for media use here and here.
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