Friday, December 1, 2023
By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice on January 25, 2021
Dare County Health and Human Services Director Sheila Davies. (File photo)
The Dare County Health and Human Services Department (DCHHS) announced on Jan. 25 that it would have to reschedule 300 appointments for its Friday Jan. 29 COVID-19 vaccination clinic after learning that the state would only provide half its promised allotment of vaccine this week. Those roughly 700 doses had been re-allocated to a state-run mass vaccination clinic at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bank of America stadium this weekend.
The news came after top county health officials pleaded over the weekend with the state to honor its commitment to provide 1,400 vaccines to Dare County this week. The county was able to scramble to secure another 400 vaccine doses from the Outer Banks Hospital and Onslow Memorial Hospital, meaning it will not have to entirely reschedule the Jan. 29 clinic.
According to a Jan. 25 release issued by DCHHS, only appointments issued for the Jan. 29 clinic are being affected by the shortage and those who are impacted will receive a phone call in order to reschedule.
In the county’s Jan. 25 release, DCHHS Director Sheila Davies declared that, “There are no words adequate to describe the frustration and dismay felt by myself and our team over having to cancel vaccination appointments…The people in Dare County and rural North Carolina deserve equitable vaccine allocation from the state.”
In a series of Jan. 24 email exchanges to N.C. Health Director Elizabeth Tilson, Davies expressed that same frustration over the unanticipated diversion of vaccines by the state.
“If someone could pull 700 doses from the 30,000 [dose] event [in Charlotte], I will personally make the 11-hour round trip from Dare to Charlotte to pick up the doses if it means not having to cancel our clinic,” she wrote.
Davies also wrote that she received emails from 20 health directors saying that their allotments were cut despite a call-to-action last week to local health directors by Governor Roy Cooper, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Director Mandy Cohen and other state leaders.
“It is really hard to describe what a stab in the back this feels like. The very teams that have busted their butts for 11 months have been shafted and it is beyond disappointing and hurtful,” Davies said, referring to the county’s allocations being used at the Charlotte event.
She noted that in vaccination clinics in Dare County this week, approximately 2,900 doses were administered, 1,200 of which were given during Dare’s largest mass clinic on Jan. 23. According to updated information on the county website as of Jan. 24, Dare County has now administered 4,588 first doses and 51 second doses of COVID-vaccines.
In the email exchange with the state health official, Davies also noted that the state had to find a way to get more doses to more local health departments — particularly those following the priority phase guidelines closely — and not redirect them to large scale events with corporate partners.
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Topic: Dare EMS – Phase 2 Pre-Bid Conference
Time: Dec 6, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Comments
Go to comments
voidless 1
What’s w/ all the Drama, the vaccine roll out is a great thing that has variables.
Robin L Ames
wow, just wow. wonder I am one of those who will be bumped on Friday. Although I am considered to be high risk by virtue of age and underlying medical conditions, I’d gladly cede my place in line to one of my Dare County neighbors who might be more in need of the vaccine than me.
Chris Smith
I’m with ya sheila what they’ve done is wrong carma is real and they will get a dose of it blood is on their hands
Dethrol
Look at the Governor’s guiding principles for vaccine distribution. Proudly posted on the NCDHHS COVID-19 site. The good guv wants you all to know that some folk are more equal than others.
Just me
Mrs. Davies, I personally hope you know how much your hard work and honesty is appreciated. I especially appreciate you meeting with the board of education and laying it on the line. I agree with you. This is politics and it is a shame our area has to suffer. Thank you and your staff.
Carole Kimmel
Dr. Davies, thanks for fighting for Dare County Covid vaccine. You have been doing a wonderful job. The state needs to look at how things are being managed in Dare County as an example of how to organize vaccinations. Keep up the good work!
Carole
SandyOBX
Shafted again! Nice try Mandy. Then any of the 300 or so cancelled appointments should be rescheduled FIRST IN LINE at next week’s clinic instead of postponing to a much later date. Maybe set up another special clinic, as you did for teachers, in order to vaccinate those who get bumped. Just sayin’
Manns Harbor man
Thank you Gov Cooper. Are you getting even for Dare County votes against the Democrat party?
Dano
I hope people are smart enough to see who is taking our share of the vaccine and redistributing it. It will be your hard earned money next. Brace for the next four years. It’s only beginning.
Sheeple
Don’t you just love the governor you voted for?
Right Hook
Typical liberalism: make promises then break them by redistributing wealth, favors and now vaccines based on voting impact. Liberalism is truly a mental disorder! Vaccines should be equally distributed by demographics. Using distribution for political purposes is despicable. Throw out all incumbents in next elections and replace them with honorable non partisan statesmen ( yes, and women).
John Boy Billy
For all those that want government Medicare for All, if they can’t handle this single project, what do you think it will be like with them managing everything?
Part Time OBX
OMG – Can we just change the name of this publication to “The COVID 19 Voice” !!!! EVERY front page article is Covid, Covid, Covid, Covid and Covid… oh and a guy was arrested on gun charges…and Covid and more Covid.
Enough already with the CONSTANT reminders and Doom and Gloom! Lets see some actual News about OBX and some uplifting stories, and other things that don’t revolve around friggin COVID! Enough of the mass hysteria – that’s what the National Media and Social Media are for!!!!!!
Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice
Sorry that you don’t agree with our editorial choices. You have other choices.
Ray
Politicians= liars , we all used to know that ,
If We Could ONLY get a leader that Wasn’t a Politician .
Surf dog
Thank you and your team Mrs. Davies. Maybe we should divert all these nrpo and tourists to the governors mansion for a tour, before coming here and see how Governor Cooper likes it.
Bob Edwards
Sheila thanks so much for fighting for Dare County. You have done an outstanding job of getting the vaccine in people’s arms which this all about. The clinic we went to could not have been run better. Somehow we will get to the end of this yet.
You can have mine
You can have mine, as I’ve got no plans what-so-ever to get the vaccine. If I need one to fly, I won’t fly plain and simple!
Surf dog
To clarify my earlier statement – my meaning is that our population is exposed to an ongoing influx of people from parts unknown on a weekly basis, thus it is imperative locals get vaccinated.
Travis
@ Ray: Been there, tried that. 30,000 lies later, no thanks.
Deep breath everyone. When NC 12 is washed out for the umpteenth time down south, it gets patched up in record time. You think the Durham resident driving over the same pothole for six years running appreciates that? Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose the resource allocation game. It’s a delay. The vaccines will get here.