Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that his state would receive roughly 85,000 doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine as soon as mid-December, numerous sources reported.
The vaccine would be sent by the federal government and frontline healthcare workers at North Carolina’s hospitals would be among the first to receive it, along with residents of long-term care homes.
Our state is preparing to receive the Pfizer vaccine that requires ultra-cold storage. We’re a big state with rural areas that stretch for hundreds of miles. Every person is important, and we’ll work hard to overcome challenges that our geography presents.
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) December 1, 2020
I have confidence in this process. Health care workers, people in long-term care and those at risk for severe illness will come first. But when it’s my turn to get this vaccine, I’ll be ready to roll up my sleeve.
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) December 1, 2020
Adults with two or more comorbidities that make them susceptible to severe cases of COVID-19, like diabetes or heart disease, would then be able to get the vaccine after the first 85,000 doses are distributed to hospitals, according to ABC 11.
Cooper said that the first vaccine shipment could come as soon as December 15 or 16, while the second shipment is expected in January.
“When we get a second vaccine, we will be getting weekly doses of both vaccines and we will work through our populations that we have prioritized,” he said.
Cooper added that the vaccine would be free to everyone, regardless of insurance coverage.
The COVID-19 vaccine will be free regardless of whether someone has health insurance. Health care providers are being enrolled in the vaccination program based on ability to reach priority populations. Trusted providers like hospitals will be among the first to vaccinate people.
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) December 1, 2020
While states have not been given a firm date of the vaccine’s shipment, they are preparing to receive them as early as Dec. 11, the day after a meeting focusing on the authorization of the vaccine. States have until Dec. 4 to request the number of doses of the Pfizer vaccine that they’ll need for residents, according to CNN.
The first batch of Pfizer’s vaccine was delivered to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Saturday, positioning the shots for rapid distribution upon pending approval by regulators. (RELATED: United Airlines Flight Carrying First Doses Of Pfizer Vaccine Arrives In Chicago As Part Of Distribution Plan)
The flight was one step in Pfizer’s distribution plan, which includes positioning the vaccine strategically ahead of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision about authorizing the vaccine.
More than 40 million doses of the vaccine are anticipated to be ready by the end of 2020, but Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisers were told Tuesday that not all doses would be available at once, according to CNN.