Press release from Henderson County Department of Public Health:
All individuals 65 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in Henderson County, following new state guidelines announced today.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) today announced new priority groupings that includes all adults 65 over in the current vaccination group – now labeled Group 2 instead of Phase 1b, Group 1.
All Henderson County vaccine providers – including Pardee UNC Health Care, AdventHealth Hendersonville, Blue Ridge Health and the Health Department – will immediately shift to vaccination models that allow for this expanded priority group. All public health partners had been awaiting a final decision about priority group changes today from NCDHHS.
The revised group of all individuals 65 and older is estimated to be more than 30,000 people in Henderson County, roughly a quarter of the population, at a time when vaccine supply remains very limited.
“We ask for the public’s patience since greater numbers of individuals will be pursuing a very limited amount of vaccine,” Health Director Steve Smith said. “We are all committed to providing vaccinations as quickly as possible based on vaccine supply.”
Additional changes to North Carolina’s priority groups can be found at www.YourSpotYourShot.nc.gov.
Please remember to stay safe and to keep yourself and others protected by consistently practicing the 3 W’s (Wear, Wait and Wash) while the community vaccination campaign continues.
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