Following meeting with NCDHHS official
Brunswick County to receive additional 400 doses of COVID-19 vaccine
By Jon Evans | February 9, 2021 at 2:26 PM EST – Updated February 9 at 4:24 PM
BOLIVIA, N.C. (WECT) – The state will send an additional 400 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Brunswick County this week, following a meeting County Commission Chairman Randy Thompson had with state officials on Monday.
According to a news release from the county, Thompson met virtually with officials including Hattie Gawande, Deputy Director of Government Affairs at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Thompson had earlier expressed his frustrations to WECT that the county is not getting more doses from the state, considering the high percentage of seniors who live in Brunswick County and are currently eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines.
Gawande noted that Brunswick County would receive another 400 doses this week between Brunswick County Health Services and Novant Health. The release says these doses were previously offered to other providers in the state, but were declined late last week. Brunswick County’s higher population of those 65 and older was a factor in the decision to provide these extra doses to some of the county’s providers.
“We are thankful for any additional doses that come our way and continue to stress to our state partners how essential it is to receive this kind of consideration in future allocation decisions to ensure we can effectively vaccinate everyone in Brunswick County who wants or needs a vaccine,” Chairman Thompson said in a statement contained in the news release. “We remain committed to cooperation and collaboration across all levels of government to achieve this goal.”
The release also says Brunswick County Health Services will work to identify eligible members in Group 1 and 2 from within the county’s historically marginalized communities to vaccinate with these doses in accordance with the State’s plan to ensure equitable access to the vaccine.
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