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Change of pace, demand for vaccines down in New Hanover County
Change of pace, demand for vaccines down in New Hanover County By Michael Praats | April 19, 2021 at 11:04 AM EDT - Updated April 19 at 12:14 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - With more than 30% of New Hanover County residents vaccinated the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has dropped significantly, in fact, New Hanover County has gone from filling hundreds of appointments in just minutes to offering walk-in shots with no appointment necessary.
Health and Human Services Consolidated Agency director Donna Fayko offered a county-wide look at the pandemic and addressed some of the changes the county is taking in order to ensure no shot goes to waste.
Dr. West Paul, New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s chief clinical officer, said in the 30 years he’s worked in healthcare he’s never seen a year without a flu season until now.
“I have to attribute it to what we ve been doing with masking and everything else,” he said.
Masks have been a point of contention since the start of the pandemic, as the public debated over their effectiveness and the freedom to choose not to wear one. But a year later, with masks more widely accepted and normalized, Howard said it’s possible people will continue wearing them in public, even after mandates are gone and most of the population has received the COVID-19 vaccine.
All residents 16 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccinations in North Carolina.
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper announced in late March the state would accelerate its vaccination plan, allowing the general public to schedule vaccination appointments starting April 7. The move put North Carolina well ahead of President Joe Biden’s goal to have vaccines available to the general public by May 1.
This comes as New Hanover County sees a significant drop in coronavirus cases, particularly in older populations. New Hanover Health and Human Services Director Donna Fayko said the county saw no new COVID-19 related deaths reported in the last week after coronavirus cases remained high throughout the winter.