Mecklenburg warns that vaccine appointments will remain scarce as NC opens eligibility

As North Carolina prepares to open vaccine eligibility to thousands of state residents, Mecklenburg County officials warned on Friday that limited vaccine supply could mean vaccine appointments will be scarce — at least for a few weeks.

NC Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday that the second group of the state’s Group 4 are scheduled to qualify for vaccines on March 31. That group covers all essential workers not yet immunized, including those who work in the chemical, commercial facilities, communications, construction, real estate, energy, financial services and public infrastructure sectors.

And everyone above the age of 16 in Charlotte and around the state will be eligible to get vaccinated by April 7.

“That’s great news,” county Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said. “I just want to caution people that we will need to continue to ask for patience.

“We are getting larger amounts of vaccines into the community,” she said. “But there’s not going to be enough that very first week that you’re eligible for everybody to get the vaccine.”

But Harris said she expects to see an increase in the county’s vaccination supply in coming weeks. The state should get an increase in supply in early April, Harris said.

And by May, Harris hopes to have enough vaccine supply in the area that anyone who wants a shot will be able to get one.

Novant Health, Charlotte’s second-largest hospital system, said Friday it is prepared for the big increase in eligibility, though it needs more vaccines. Novant Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest told reporters Friday he too expects to see an increase in vaccine supply in coming weeks.

“We’re eager to vaccinate all community members and we absolutely support the state’s decision to expand vaccination eligibility to everyone,” Priest said. “Although we still don’t have a supply to meet current demand, our teams will continue to deliver shots into arms as quickly and as equitably as possible.”

More appointments at Bojangles Coliseum

The county will likely open up new COVID-19 vaccine appointments at Bojangles Coliseum for the month of April starting next week, Harris said.

And the county is working through the vaccination waitlist, Harris said. Anyone eligible for the shot can join the waitlist online at https://www.mecknc.gov/covid-19/pages/vaccine.aspx.

Some Mecklenburg residents are leaving the Charlotte area to get vaccines — and that’s perfectly fine, Harris said. “We don’t care where you get vaccinated,” Harris said. “We just need you to get vaccinated.”

Relaxing Covid restrictions

Earlier this week, Cooper announced that he would relax some COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, allowing some, like retail stores, museums and salons, to reopen at full capacity, starting at 5 p.m. Friday.

Other businesses, like restaurants, breweries and gyms will be able to open at 75% capacity indoors and 100% capacity outdoors.

But even with those loosened restrictions, Harris urged Mecklenburg residents to continue social distancing and wearing masks.

“The mask mandate is still in effect,” she said. “… Anytime you go out of your house, you should have a mask on.”

Harris said Mecklenburg County has received reports that some businesses are no longer requiring masks. “That is inappropriate,” she said.

The governor’s new executive order still requires businesses to make sure customers are wearing masks and keeping six feet of distance.

Mecklenburg vaccination rates

People eligible for the shot in North Carolina includes health care workers, staff and residents at long-term care facilities, anyone age 65 and older, front-line essential workers, people at certain congregate living settings like prisons and shelters, and people with one or more high risk medical condition.

Roughly 120,326 Mecklenburg County residents have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and roughly 193,417 are at least partially vaccinated as of Friday, according to state Department of Health and Human Services numbers.

The county lags behind the state’s vaccination rate, with 17.4% of Mecklenburg residents at least partially vaccinated compared to 26.4% of state residents at least partially vaccinated.