Cases of COVID and hospitalizations in NC have stayed stable again this week. Vaccinations are ongoing but with lower numbers of vaccines being given than previously. The use of the J & J vaccine (1 dose vaccine) was resumed last week at the Four Seasons Mall mass vaccination site.
Last week Governor Cooper allowed the increase of sizes of both outdoor and indoor groups gathered together. The CDC also clarified guidance for mask use out of doors, recommending that they be used in medium to larger groups where physical distancing can not be maintained, but may be relaxed in most out of door activities . This and other guidelines can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y4wy9twc Friends are encouraged to read these guidelines to help them decide what activities are appropriate for each family group. Persons, vaccinated or not, are still encouraged to wear masks, physically distance and wash hands frequently when in public places or in medium/large groups of people. Symptomatic (cough, fever, shortness of breath) persons still need to be tested and treated regardless of vaccination status. Also persons in higher risk categories should be mindful that just because they are vaccinated does not mean they can have unmasked visits with individuals at higher risk for having the virus.
The spike of cases in India which is currently causing so much distress and overwhelming of resources there is a cautionary tale which reminds us that cases could start to mount here again. Friends are advised to continue to take the precautions to prevent COVID infections including masking, physical distancing and frequent hand washing where appropriate. All persons 16 years and older are now eligible for vaccination in NC. Those 16 years of age and older can have the Pfizer vaccine while the Moderna vaccine is approved for those 18 years of age and older.
As of Tuesday, May 4, Cone Health continues to vaccinate 16 year olds and up at their vaccination sites and walk in vaccinations will be given though appointments are still preferred. Those who walk in need to show up at least 2 hours prior to clinic closure for the day. As of May 4 they have vaccine appointments available. They have Moderna and Pzifer vaccines depending on what site you sign up for. They plan to offer the J & J vaccine in the future but do not have it yet. The Cone Health web site is https://tinyurl.com/dmhfc8zk. Appointments can also be made by phone at 336-890-1188 Monday through Fridays 7 a.m. -7 p.m. The Cone vaccine information site also has links to other county sites and allows persons to sign up for vaccine updates. Cone does not want their patients to call their individual provider offices for vaccination appointments, however some other health organizations like Wake Forest Baptist Health and Novant are allowing sign ups/information for their patients through their on-line patient charts.
Guilford County sign up may be done at healthyguilford.com (Email address required) or by phone 336-641-7944, option 2. Phone appointments must be made 8 am-5pm Monday through Friday. They have Pfizer and J & J vaccines and a person may choose which vaccine they sign up for. Group appointments can now be scheduled. The vaccination sites still include Mount Zion Baptist Church, High Point Community University Center and Greensboro Coliseum. People can subscribe to updates about vaccine availability and appointment openings from the Guilford Health Department by texting GC19 (or GC19S for Spanish) to 888777. They are now also doing walk-in appointments.
The Four Seasons Mall site is also delivering vaccinations for walk in and drive up vaccines, they will be operating through May 27, according to their web site. They are still scheduling appointments as well at GSOmassvax.org. They are offering the Pfizer (2 dose ) or the J & J (one dose.) vaccines, depending on patient preference.
Another resource is https://vaccinefinder.org which tracks what pharmacies have available vaccine and of what type within 10 (or other # of miles) of your zip code. A quick check of this resource today shows vaccine is available at some of the pharmacies in Greensboro this week. Walgreens and CVS will let you sign up for a vaccine at Walgreens.com or CVS.com after setting up an account with them. Other pharmacies have similar sign up opportunities.
The NC site which helps persons find a vaccination site is https://myspot.nc.gov/. This site will also show you where vaccines are available close to your zip code. NC has said all groups are now eligible for vaccine.
Friends are reminded that the Affordable Health Care Marketplace is open until May 15, 2021 to allow persons who have lost their health care coverage during the pandemic to sign up. Research this at: https://www.healthcare.gov/