Jackson gets influx of vaccine doses

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Jackson County is still lagging behind surrounding counties when it comes to the percentage of its population that’s received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but it will have the chance to catch up after the health department received an allotment of 1,200 first doses this week — quadruple the number provided last week.

As of Feb. 8, only 3,064 Jackson County residents had received a first vaccine dose, equal to 7 percent of the county’s population according to 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimates. By comparison, 8.9 percent of Macon County residents, 10.3 percent of Swain County residents and 11.6 percent of Haywood County residents had received a first dose by that same date. In addition, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians had given 1,751 first doses by Feb. 8 through a separate allocation from the federal government. The tribe has about 16,000 enrolled members, though they don’t all live in Western North Carolina.

In addition to the health department’s 1,200 doses, Harris Regional Hospital received 100 doses. Blue Ridge Health is distributing the vaccine in several counties including Jackson and Haywood, and an ultra-cold freezer from the University of North Carolina System is on its way to Western Carolina University, where it will be used to store vaccine doses for a public clinic that will be offered there.

In preparation for that clinic, the WCU Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning has created a website to solicit volunteers for the vaccination effort. The university is also working to hire staff, both clinical and administrative, to supplement the volunteers. The clinic aims to administer at least 500 vaccines per day. More information about employment at the clinic is available at www.jobs.wcu.edu, and information about volunteer opportunities is online at www.wcu.edu/learn/academicenrichment/center-for-service-learning/vaccination-resources.aspx.

Jackson County has been assured a baseline allocation of 200 first doses for at least one more week — though it could receive additional doses above that baseline, as happened this week — and Harris Regional has likewise been told to expect 100 doses per week. Jackson is still vaccinating Groups 1 and 2, which includes healthcare workers, staff and residents at long-term care facilities, and adults 65 and older.

Haywood County is also in the midst of vaccinating older adults and had been offering appointments only to those 75 and older but is moving to the 65 and older age group this week. The health department received 300 first doses this week, Haywood Regional Medical Center received 100 and Blue Ridge Health received 100. The same amounts are expected next week as well.

The EBCI is now vaccinating adults 40 and older who are tribal members or who qualify for primary care services at the Cherokee Indian Hospital. Swain County and Macon County are vaccinating adults 65 and older.

Counties are also beginning to work on administering second doses. As of Feb. 8, Haywood County had administered 1,237 second doses, or 1.99 percent of the population; Jackson County had administered 430, or 0.98 percent; Macon had administered 339, or 0.95 percent; and Swain County had administered 206, or 1.44 percent. The EBCI had administered 590 second doses.

Statewide statistics are updated at www.covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard/vaccinations.

Vaccination by the numbers

County Jan. 25 Feb. 8 First doses Percent population First doses Percent population

Haywood 5,105 8.2 7,206 11.6 Jackson 2,400 5.5 3,064 7.0 Swain 950 6.7 1,472 10.3 Macon 2,245 6.4 3,101 8.9 Statewide 630,774 6.0 970,162 9.3 *Dose numbers from NCDHHS. Data do not include doses administered through the federal longterm care facilities program and may be subject to a 72-hour reporting lag. Population figures based on 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

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Macon steps up COVID response

BY JESSI STONE NEWS EDITOR

When Macon County Commissioners met on Jan. 12, health department staff was having a difficult time meeting the demands of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but the county departments have since come together in a joint effort to streamline their processes for vaccinations and testing.

The influx of calls to the health department to make appointments for testing and vaccinations became so overwhelming that it shut down the county’s phone systems and left the health department with 700 voicemails to answer.

“We’ve had call centers operating since Jan. 16 and we’ve returned all 700 voicemails,” Roland reported during a Feb. 4 meeting. “We’ve gotten the call time wait from 45 minutes to an average of 4 seconds. Instead of four to five people manning phones, we have 15 people manning phones.”

Roland said he’s pulled employees from multiple departments, including DSS, the tax office, sheriff’s office and recreation to assist in the efforts and also hired five parttime employees who started Jan. 18.

On Jan. 21, Macon County started holding a drive-thru clinic five days a week to offer COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, which has allowed the county to use up it’s weekly allotment of 200 vaccines quickly. The county was also sent National Guardsmen, who have been helping with data entry.

Roland said the county figured out it could administer 2,200 vaccines a week if given the supply from the state, but that extra supply didn’t come through as the state prioritized vaccines for a massive vaccination event in Charlotte. Since that time, Roland said he’s been told by the state that counties will begin to be notified of their weekly allotments three weeks at a time instead of one week.

“I was told we’d be getting 300 doses a week for three weeks,” he said. “I was informed we’d get 400 doses next week instead of 300.”

Health Director Kathy McGaha said as of Feb. 4, Macon had administered 1,900 first doses of the vaccine. A Highlands vaccination event administered another 980 doses thanks to HCA Healthcare and Pardee Hospital transferring some of their doses to the event.

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