Raleigh, NC Most healthy adults in Wake County probably won’t get a coronavirus vaccine until late spring or summer, local health experts said Thursday.
Meanwhile, the virus is raging in the province, with more than 7,400 new infections in November. Medical Director Dr. Nicole Mushonga said the province is on track to beat that record in December.
The number of daily cases rose by 63 percent in the first two weeks of December and is now above 700 per day for the first time, Mushonga said.
“There is a lot of concern about a spike in post-holiday cases,” said Matt Calabria, chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, who received a local vaccination timeline Thursday from doctors and other experts.
“We are seeing the peaks after each of these holidays, and we are monitoring this closely,” Mushonga said.
Local hospitals are also seeing an increase in the number of patients treated for COVID-19, more than the number seen during summer peaks, officials said.
“Our staff is tired – everyone’s staff is tired – but they are all doing what needs to be done,” said Donald Gintzig, president and CEO of WakeMed.
WakeMed in Raleigh and Cary, UNC Rex Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital were all scheduled to receive their first shipments of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, allowing them to vaccinate some of their staff.
The county’s health department will start getting some vaccine doses next week, after a second vaccine, manufactured by Moderna, has received an emergency permit from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“We are far from out of the woods. We are going to fight this pandemic for months, ”said Calabria.
“Anyone who wants a vaccine will eventually get one, but it’s important for the community to understand that the vaccine process is going to take months,” said Jason Wittes, Wake County pharmacy director. “Realistically, most healthy and middle-aged adults will not be vaccinated until the late spring or early summer of next year.”
Under the nationwide distribution plan, health workers and long-term residents and staff should be vaccinated first, followed by adults at greatest risk of serious illness or exposure to the virus. Critical workers and students from the industry come next, followed by everyone else.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two injections, with the second Pfizer injection being three weeks after the first and the second Moderna injection being four weeks. Wittes said an organized system with an immunization card ensures that each person receives both vaccine doses of the right type and at the right time.
“Everyone will be able to record who gets which vaccine, when and what they should be administered for,” he said.
The pandemic has also hit Wake County hard financially.
“COVID-19 has triggered an economic downturn, which in turn has led to a decline in our tax revenues, particularly our sales tax revenues,” said Calabria. tens of millions of dollars. “
The province has cut positions and postponed projects to reduce its budget.
“We are extremely thin now,” he said.
The province received nearly $ 200 million from the federal government through the CARES law to cover much of the response costs, but Calabria said Congress should provide more support to local governments in every new aid package.
“The coming months will be crucial in our fight against the pandemic,” he said. “It is very important to provide robust support to local governments as we face the day to day battle with the virus.”