RALEIGH — The state’s COVID-19 vaccination rate has improved slightly but still trails most of the nation. According to the CDC, the state’s rate, as of data uploaded at the end of last week, showed 2,887 per 100,000 residents were able to receive vaccinations. That places the state’s rate as the 12th-worst among 100,000. Earlier, the state consistently rated in the bottom ten.
The state fared slightly better with those receiving their second dose of the vaccine, rising four spots and placing 34th nationally.
The slow roll out of the vaccine has led NCDHHS to change their guidelines several times, and NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen was grilled by state lawmakers over the slow pace in an oversight committee hearing.
“The administration had 10 months to draft and refine a plan to distribute a vaccine that everybody in the world knew was in development, but they didn’t even effectively plan for something as simple as what to do when too many people call asking to schedule their vaccination. The status quo is completely unacceptable, and the failure of the county-centric model was known before planning even began,” said state Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth).
State Sen. Jim Perry (R-Lenoir) added, “The executive branch is now in the unfortunate position of having to build the plane while flying it, which is not a recipe for success.”
