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AppHealthCare COVID-19 Situation Update for Watauga County February 12, 2021

This document is intended to provide a regular update on the local response to COVID-19 in our communities and timely, trended data related to COVID-19. This report will be published on Fridays.

“We are encouraged by the many partners and volunteers who have been critical in coming together to help administer COVID-19 vaccine to our community. We could not do it without the local support and willingness to get shots in arms. We are still receiving limited supplies of vaccine but are hopeful this will increase so more people can be vaccinated. Due to the limited supplies, you may have to wait to get the vaccine but everyone will have a spot to get their shot,” stated Jennifer Greene, Health Director, AppHealthCare.

Our next allocation of vaccine will include 200 first doses of Moderna and 2,925 first doses of Pfizer. We will also be receiving 500 second doses for Watauga.

What phase are we in for Watauga County?

Group 1 and Group 2 are eligible for vaccine now. This 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.

Governor Announces Education and Childcare Eligible for Vaccine Beginning February 24th

On February 10th, Governor Cooper announced individuals who work in education (Pre-K through grade 12) and childcare settings will be eligible for vaccine on February 24th. We are committed to offering vaccine to our community and recognize the important role school staff, teachers and childcare staff play in our community. We are working on a plan to vaccinate these individuals who will be eligible for vaccine while also focusing on our older adult population because there are still many on the waitlist to

receive vaccine within this group. We plan to release more information next week as we coordinate with local school and childcare partners to formulate a plan for vaccination of these individuals.

How many doses of vaccine do we have?

The total doses of vaccine received includes vaccine that was transferred to us from the hospital

People Eligible for Vaccine

This is an approximate number of those who are eligible to receive vaccine in Group 1 and Group 2 and have not been scheduled for an appointment. This number comes from the COVID-19 Interest Form list and is updated on our website weekly on Fridays.

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.

The vaccine will be offered free of charge to everyone whether or not you have health insurance. To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit our website here or NC DHHS’s website here.