Bladen County Health Department partners with schools to vaccinate teachers
Bladen County prioritized teachers at vaccine clinic Wednesday By Zach Solon | February 24, 2021 at 2:10 PM EST - Updated February 24 at 11:51 PM
BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - Teachers and school employees are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in North Carolina, and the Bladen County Health Department is wasting no time to get educators their first doses.
“We actually put aside all of our slots for today and tomorrow for school personnel here in the county,” said Dr. Terri Duncan, director of the Bladen County Health Department.
The department opened its doors this morning for 150 appointments reserved for teachers and staff at Bladen County Schools.
The Fayetteville Observer
As of Thursday, about 781,802 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in North Carolina since the start of the pandemic. More than 9,600 people have died from the virus since March 2020, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services in their daily dashboard report.
The state s health officials are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 as the state prepares for more vaccinations and the return of in-person classes this year.
Health departments in Bladen, Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Robeson and Sampson counties continue to update the public with the latest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths in their counties. The results are as follows.
Former New Hanover County Health Director Philip Tarte signs a beam at the now-finished Department of Health and Human Services headquarters. The reasons for Tarte’s departure are unclear. (Port City Daily/Courtesy New Hanover County)
NEW HANOVER COUNTY Phillip Tarte, the director of the New Hanover County Health Department, is no longer employed with the agency, a county spokesperson confirmed Friday. The county’s website lists David Howard previously Tarte’s deputy as interim health director.
Commissioner Rob Zapple said Friday that County Manager Chris Coudriet told commissioners Tarte is no longer employed by New Hanover County.
Tarte was hired in 2016 to lead an agency with 120 employees and a budget of nearly $11.6 million, according to a report at the time by StarNews Media. His starting salary was $130,000. Tarte is from Whiteville and worked as health director of Union County prior to coming to New Hanover.
UPDATE: Bladen County vaccine appointments are now full
Bladen County receives additional vaccine By WECT Staff | January 21, 2021 at 10:11 PM EST - Updated January 22 at 12:49 PM
ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. (WECT) - Bladen County Health Department said all available appointments have been filled after that agency received a limited supply of the COVID-19 vaccine Thursday
The county health department begin accepting the appointments at 9 a.m. Friday and were quickly overwhelmed with phone calls, which led to the agency to plead with the public to call less frequently.
Just before noon, officials took to Facebook to say all appointments had been booked.
Alan Wooten Bladen Journal
ELIZABETHTOWN Coronavirus recoveries went up by six and cases were reduced by three in the daily update Sunday from the Bladen County Health Department.
The net improvement dropped the active case total from a single-day high of 199 on Saturday to 190. Six people remain hospitalized. Since the pandemic began, there have been 1,761 cases, 1,547 recoveries and 24 deaths.
The state Department of Health and Human Services postal ZIP code report lists 596 cases in Elizabethtown and White Lake since the pandemic began; 364 in Bladenboro; 217 in Clarkton; 194 in East Arcadia; 106 in White Oak; 95 in Tar Heel; 50 in Council; 38 in Kelly; and 19 in Dublin.