The Graham County Health Department is continuing its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, as some other entities in the county have also begun to offer the shot.
At the Feb. 1 Graham County Health Board meeting, Health Director Beth Booth announced that the Tallulah Health Clinic had held a vaccine event, inoculating 118 people with the first dose of the vaccine.
The 118 doses given is in addition to the shots given by the health department.
“We’re pushing the limits of our capacity, but we’ll get it done,” Booth said.
She said there were two days this week with 80 people each scheduled to receive the vaccine.
Tallulah received 200 doses initially, with 100 more expected to arrive this week. Meanwhile, the health department will continue to receive its 100 weekly doses.
As of Monday, the county reportedly has vaccinated 772 people, with 67 second doses administered. Data from the Federal Long Term Care Program is not included in the figures, but residents at Graham County Nursing and Rehabilitation Services have been vaccinated by Walgreens.
“(Front line) healthcare workers were the first group; over 65 is the second group,” Booth said.
She emphasized that the county was focusing on the older people in the over-65 group and working its way down.
The next group the vaccine will be open to under the state’s plan will be essential employees. Essential employees were originally in the earlier group, but were removed.
“We were very lucky in that we were able to vaccinate a lot of the essential employees, but we didn’t get all of them,” Booth noted.
The state data also shows that 11.6 percent of the county’s population has received its first dose, and 1.08 percent has received its second.
“We have had no problem getting our second doses, none,” Booth said. “We have plenty of second doses in the freezer, and it’s just waiting for those appointments.”
She said first doses usually arrive on Tuesday and second doses usually arrive on Thursday.
Statewide, North Carolina has administered 1,138,240 doses, in addition to 120,884 doses administered through the long term care program. As of Jan. 18, the state was tied with Kentucky for the lowest COVID-19 mortality rate in the country, at 77 deaths per 100,000 residents.
Of neighboring states, only Virginia’s mortality rate was lower, at 67 deaths per 100,000 residents.
Up-to-date COVID numbers can be viewed anytime at ncdhhs.gov.