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AppHealthCare COVID-19 Situation Updates for Watauga County Release on Saturday

“Right now we are receiving limited supplies of vaccine so we are following the priority groups outlined from the state and scheduling appointments based on those who have completed our COVID-19 vaccine interest form. We are prioritizing vaccine deployment and will continue to do everything we can to ensure vaccine gets out to the community as quickly and efficiently as possible,” stated Jennifer Greene, Health Director, AppHealthCare.

What phase are we in for Watauga County?

On January 14, NC DHHS announced changes to the priority groups for vaccine distribution. We will be following these groups for our counties. Right now Group 1 and Group 2 are eligible for vaccine which includes health care workers with in-person patient contact, long-term care staff and residents—people in skilled nursing facilities, adult care homes, continuing care retirement communities and anyone 65 years or older, regardless of health status or living situation.

How many doses of vaccine do we have?

For Watauga County, we have received 1,600 doses of Moderna and 975 doses of Pfizer vaccine to date. We have administered 1,400 vaccines as of January 15, 2021 at noon. At this time, we have been notified by NC DHHS we will not be receiving a shipment of first dose vaccine next week. We are anticipating receiving 975 doses of Pfizer and 600 doses of Moderna for individuals’ second dose.

Mass Vaccination Event by Appointment Only – Saturday, January 16th by Appointment Only

AppHealthCare, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System and other local partners are hosting a mass vaccination event on Saturday, January 16th at the Watauga High School primarily for those who are 75 years or older. However, with the changes to vaccine groups from NC DHHS yesterday, we have opened up the event for those who are 65 years or older. We first went through our interest form list of those who identified themselves as 75 years or older and then for any open slots, we have opened those up to individuals who have identified themselves as 65 years or older. We are using the information people have already provided in the COVID-19 interest form to schedule appointments for Saturday’s event. This event is by appointment only since we have limited vaccine quantities. We are reaching out directly to individuals to confirm appointments.

Interested in Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine?

We have launched a COVID-19 vaccine interest form for anyone interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Anyone can fill out the form regardless of which phase they will fit into. You can find the form on our website here.

Want to Volunteer for a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic?

If you are interested in volunteering your time to help with COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Alleghany, Ashe or Watauga County, please complete this form.

Data for Watauga County

An important note about data context: The graphs below show the available data. Please carefully read the descriptions below the graph to understand the data limitations. The most current data is available on the AppHealthCare dashboard, as the data below is past data trended.

Important Disclaimer About Data

It is imperative that this report and the data contained within is understood in the appropriate context. Please, if you use this report, please be certain that the information included within is shared within the appropriate context. Doing otherwise may be damaging to the public health response efforts. There are multiple factors involved in addressing this virus, including compliance with public health control measures implemented by the local health director and referenced in NC GS 130A. These measures are imperative for limiting the spread of COVID-19. AppHealthCare strongly advises that when data is shared for the purposes of educating the public or informing policy decisions, it should come directly from NC DHHS or AppHealthCare as it is presented with appropriate context from those directly involved in public health response.