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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that he mobilized the National Guard to help distribute coronavirus vaccines as the state ranked among the worst in the country regarding how quickly residents were receiving the first dose of the inoculation.
"Ensuring COVID-19 vaccines are administered quickly is our top priority right now. We will use all resources and personnel needed. I’ve mobilized the NC National Guard to provide support to local health providers as we continue to increase the pace of vaccinations," he tweeted.
Cooper, a Democrat, did not provide more details Tuesday but is expected to hold a press conference with the state’s coronavirus task force Wednesday at 2 p.m.
N.C. National Guard said it will mobilize about 50 personnel between Tuesday and Wednesday, WTVD reported. Six-member "immunization strike teams" will be tasked with traveling to COVID-19 vaccine sites across the state "to help North Carolina get needles into arms," Brig. Gen. Jeff Copeland said Tuesday, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
The move came as data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows those living in North Carolina are receiving the first dose of the vaccine at a slower rate compared to the rest of the country, the News & Observer reported. As of 9 a.m. Monday, North Carolina ranked sixth lowest, with a rate of 966 vaccinations per 100,000 people.
In a letter addressed to Cooper, as well as State House Speaker Tim Moore and State Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, Democratic state Rep. Billy Richardson requested that the General Assembly be called in for an emergency session "to empower and fund our National Guard to overcome the roadblocks currently impeding the efficient and rapid delivery of vaccines to our citizens."
"The numbers of North Carolinians contracting Covid daily is staggering and the slow distribution of the vaccines is disturbing," Richardson wrote. "It is obvious that we must not rely on the federal government alone to get this job done. Delays only contribute to the geometric rise of our Covid numbers and deaths making our recovery more."
As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, at least 109,799 people in North Carolina had received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to data released by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. However, data can lag by as much as 72 hours and the number might be higher, the department said.
"Though a vaccine was created sooner than expected, the state had months to prepare a distribution plan. It’s inexcusable for vaccines to sit on the shelf for as long as they have," Lauren Horsch, spokeswoman for Berger, said in a statement to WNCN in response to Richardson’s letter. "It’s good that the Governor realizes that and plans to mobilize the National Guard. We are waiting to see if there is a plan behind that announcement."
North Carolina entered into phase 1A of its vaccine distribution program on Dec. 14, which involves vaccinating health care workers treating COVID-19 patients and staff and residents of long-term care facilities. On Dec. 30, the N.C. National Guard said it received its first allocation of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and medics would begin providing the voluntary vaccine shots to Guardsmen currently supporting state coronavirus response efforts.
It remains unclear when North Carolina will proceed to the next step of the vaccine distribution program.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said Monday that the state was launching a new toll-free hotline for people seeking information about how, when and where to get vaccinated, as well as field any questions about the injection itself, WRAL reported.
Phase 1B will make the vaccine available to group 1, which includes people 75 or older, and then to group 2, which consists of other health care workers and "essential" workers, such as first responders, teachers, postal workers, manufacturing workers and supermarket employees, 50 or older. Group 3 consists of other health care workers and essential workers 49 and younger, according to the state health department's latest vaccine-related press release on Dec. 30.
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On Saturday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced record COVID-19 key metrics to start 2021, with the state reporting its highest one-day number of COVID-19 cases on Jan. 1 with 9,527 new infections. That exceeded the highest day set on Dec. 18, 2020 by more than 1,000.
The daily tally of infections remained high on Saturday with 9,365 new cases reported.
"We begin 2021 in our most dangerous position in this pandemic. We have critically high rates of spread in much of our state," Cohen said. "I encourage you to avoid getting together indoors with anyone who doesn’t live with you. If you plan to see other people keep it outside and very small. Wear a mask the whole time. We must do all that we can to protect one another."
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