Selma, NC – Despite the short wait, the extended program, the organizers are fighting to exhaust the supply of COVID-19 vaccine at the auto-thru clinic in Johnston County
A self-first clinic for the first doses of Modern Vaccine at North Johnston High School reported short waiting times and a lot of COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday. Organizers wanted to use all 2,000 doses, but said they tried to do so on Wednesday.
No scheduling was required for the event at 5915 US Highway 301 in Kenly, which was open to people aged 65 and over, health workers and staff and residents of long-term care institutions. The clinic opened at 8:45 a.m. and extended its schedule to 4 p.m. after not running out of vaccine, when it was originally scheduled to end at 2 p.m.
“They’re basically not good after you bite them. We don’t want to open a bottle if we don’t have enough people to get a vaccine out of the bottle,” said Lu Hickey, a Johnston County Public Health Department public. intelligence officer.
Dianne Otey, 74, and her husband drove an hour from Fuquay-Varina to Selma to receive the vaccine.
“I tried online on the phone for a month and couldn’t make any progress. I even tried the Walgreens app and it crashed,” Otey explained.
Howard Rogers, who lives in Raleigh, also crossed county lines to receive the vaccine.
“It simply came to our notice then [wait] lists … when we contact them, they say “I’m out,” Rogers explained. “You just have to keep trying [and] be as patient as you can. ”
Hickey said the county has vaccination clinics in various locations.
“Usually [the vaccine clinics] they’re in high school because they have a bigger footprint and more space to work with to have more vehicles, “she added. This area is the top of our county and what we tried to do [is] to get all the sections of our county and we came back here a second time trying to get as many of those people as we couldn’t get the first time. ”
Hickey said the goal is for residents not to have to drive from one end of the county to the other.
“It’s very interesting to see people coming out [and] wanting that vaccine. We are looking forward to being able to offer the second dose to people who are coming out, “she said.
State officials said Johnston County is struggling to vaccinate communities of color, especially Hispanics.
“We’re still in the red zone, but our numbers are declining,” Hickey said.
Another drive-thru clinic opened in Fayetteville at 9:00 a.m. the Crown Complex for people who need either a first or second dose of vaccine.
In Wilson, a second-dose vaccine clinic opened Wednesday at Fike High School at 500 Harrison Drive. The event is for people who have already received their first dose at that location.
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