North Carolina To Receive Nearly 85,000 Doses Of COVID Vaccine

North Carolina is set to receive nearly 85,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine once it is approved, Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Tuesday (December 1). The Pfizer vaccine recently requested emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will potentially be distributed within the month.

"As concerning as the numbers are, I and many other North Carolinians have newfound hope in the development of promising vaccines," Cooper said in a press conference. "Moderna and Pfizer both have produced vaccines with remarkable early results, better than health experts ever hoped for."

While both Pfizer and Moderna are anticipating approval by the FDA, Cooper believes the first shipment of doses will be the Pfizer vaccine. The shipment will include 84,800 doses and be distributed first among frontline health care workers and patients most at risk. The next group to be prioritized are longterm care workers and residents, followed by adults who have two or more chronic illnesses that put them at high risk of COVID-19.

Once a second vaccine is approved, Cooper said, the state will begin receiving weekly doses of both, which they believe will be sometime in January.

State officials believe the first shipment of a vaccine could happen by mid-December. When a vaccine does become available, Cooper said it will be free for all regardless if they have health insurance or not.

The full press conference can be viewed below (begins around the 19:50 mark).

Photo: Getty Images


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