By WECT Staff | January 11, 2021 at 2:13 PM EST – Updated January 11 at 7:33 PM
BURGAW, N.C. (WECT) – Pender County health officials say they’ve administered nearly 1,000 vaccinations to those currently eligible, which includes healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients, support staff responsible for cleaning COVID-19 areas, and residents 75 years of age or older.
“We schedule appointments in conjunction with the supply of vaccine that we receive from the state,” said Carolyn Moser, director of the county’s health department. “We are following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) guidelines, which prioritizes groups by age, vocation, and high risk of exposure.”
All appointments for the week of Jan. 11 have been filled.
“We are asking residents in Phase 1 b, Group 1, to call the health department and leave their name and number. We will return their call to schedule an appointment. However, the number of patients we can see will be dependent upon how many doses of the vaccine we receive in the next shipments,” explained Moser.
According to health department staff, interest in receiving the COVID-19 vaccination has been overwhelming. The department has added multiple phone lines to accept calls. Officials say if residents receive a busy signal, please call back.
The health department number is 910-259-1230.
Moser added that the county will remain in Phase 1b, group 1 and will only transition to the next group when the needs of the current group are met.
There’s no set date for when the state would transition to phase 1b, group 2.
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