Anson has hit ‘wall’ in new vaccinations, health department says

WADESBORO — The Anson County Health Department has hit a “wall” as vaccination appointments have slowed and the state pushes forward with re-opening.

All adults who are 18 years and older are eligible to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the health department in Anson County. Vaccine appointments are every Tuesday and Thursday at the EMS center off of Country Club Road.

“We have capacity for about 100 first doses and 100 second doses each day,” Health Director Fred Thompson said. “Unfortunately, we have hit a wall in our COVID vaccinations.”

The Health Department only had 32 first dose appointments scheduled on April 27 and seven on April 29.

Only about 23% of Anson County residents are fully vaccinated as of May 2, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Service website. This is behind the state’s total vaccination rate of 32.8%.

“I want to encourage everyone 18 and over to get vaccinated,” Thompson said. “The vaccines are safe and effective and, getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and all that you are in close contact with every day.”

Even as restrictions on lifting across the state, new cases are still popping up. The Health Department reported 42 active cases in the county on May 3, a slight decrease from the week before. There has been a total of 2,541 cases since the start of the pandemic.

“While the number of new COVID-19 cases has come down, we still had 25 new cases last week,” Thompson said. “Lets work together as a community to increase our vaccination rate and drive the number of new cases in Anson County to zero.”

Governor Roy Cooper announced the anticipation of lifting restrictions on June 1. This includes a lift on social distancing, capacity and mass gatherings. Executive Order No. 209 will increase mass gathering capacity limits from 50 to 100 people indoors and 100 to 200 people outside.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance about masks on April 27, stating masks are no longer needed outside for people who are vaccinated, and in some cases, those who are not vaccinated.

The CDC believes people, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, to be safest not wearing a mask when walking, running, biking outdoors or attending a small, outdoor gather with fully vaccinated family and friends.

The guidelines outline that unvaccinated people should wear a mask when around a group of both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, dining outdoors with friends from multiple households and attending a sporting event or live performance.

The CDC is still recommends all people, whether you are vaccinated or not, to wear a mask indoors.

“While our numbers are mostly stable, we have more work to do to beat back this pandemic,” Governor Cooper said in a press briefing on April 28. “Let’s work hard in May and get as many people vaccinated as we can before summer gets here.”