Chapel Hill, N.C. — UNC Health is among several North Carolina hospitals expected to receive the first round of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Monday.
A total of 85,800 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are expected to go to 53 hospitals in the state this week. Five Triangle-area hospitals, including UNC Medical Center, WakeMed Raleigh, UNC REX, Duke University Hospital and Cape Fear Valley Health System, will receive the maximum amount of doses the first week.
Mike Lyons, Vice President of UNC Health Pharmacy, said UNC has been preparing for six months for the vaccine. The first in line to get shots are frontline medical workers who work most closely with coronavirus patients.
“There is a lot of activity going on behind the scenes. We working on ensuring that we have a plan to vaccinate those workers that are at the highest risk,” Lyons said.
UNC will receive a maximum amount of doses the first week that will vaccinate 45% of staff at UNC REX and 20% of staff at UNC Medical Center. At Duke, the doses will enable 13% of staff to get vaccinated, and at WakeMed, 35% of staff can be vaccinated from the first round of vaccines.
Duke workers can sign up to get vaccinated on a first-come, first-served basis, officials said. According to Dr. Cameron Wolfe, hundreds of workers can be vaccinated each day depending on staffing.
According to Lyons, the majority of North Carolina’s hospitals will receive their first vaccines by Wednesday.
The Pfizer vaccine is extremely fragile, health officials said, and must be stored in ultra-cold conditions. UNC has a plan to keep those doses protected.
“We built out the capacity all across UNC Health and we have redundant methods,” Lyons said. But, if their storage methods fail, UNC is keeping bulk containers of dry ice available across the state to keep the vaccines cold.
“It’s a big responsibility, but one we take pride in,” Lyons said.
An effort to vaccinate residents and employees in nursing homes is being led by the federal government through CVS and Walgreens and will begin after Moderna’s vaccine is approved. After hospitals and nursing homes, vaccines will be offered in clinics and pharmacies though vaccine events.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said last week “we’re not there yet” but that the NCDHHS will share weekly updates about the vaccine.
NC coronavirus cases climbing
These shipments come as the state reports more record-high coronavirus cases. On Sunday, the state reported a grim 6,819 new coronavirus cases. The total number of confirmed cases reported on Sunday is the second-highest total since the pandemic began.
North Carolina reached 6,000 new cases for the first time last Saturday. By Friday, the state had crested 7,500 new cases.
On Sunday, more than 2,500 people were being treated in hospital for coronavirus.
North Carolina is now reporting an average 11.1% positivity rate over the past seven days. Health officials try to keep the rate of positive tests below 5% — a benchmark North Carolina last reached on Sept. 24.
What’s next for healthcare providers
State and local leaders will coordinate distributing the coronavirus vaccine based on who needs the vaccine most. Along with healthcare workers, residents of long-term care facilities will be among the first to receive Pfizer’s vaccine.
The coronavirus vaccine will be free to everyone — insurances companies and the federal government will cover the cost.