Wake County COVID-19 booster appointments rise as people begin to travel this holiday

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- RDU officials are anticipating more than 490,000 people will travel through the airport during the next two weeks. The Thursday before Christmas is projected to be one of the busiest days.

Some people say there is one specific item to cross off their checklist before hopping on a flight.

Rolesville resident Sheila Lockett said there is no way she would have gone to New Orleans to visit her daughter without rolling up her sleeve for the third time.

"This is my first time really I've traveled since COVID hit and we just want to be super sure," said Lockett. "It's really important to stay safe."

With holiday travel getting underway, North Carolina is reporting a rise in COVID-19 cases. The Wake County Health Department is seeing an increase in testing, and more than 16,000 people have taken cautionary measures this week.

A spokesperson said more children are getting vaccinated and there's been an uptick in booster appointments across all five sites. The County is adding additional appointments to meet demand.

Ellery McIntyre is not planning to do anything different going into the holiday.

"I'm vaccinated, and we've all had COVID already, so we're all right and the house is clean and we're doing the best we can," said McIntyre.

State officials are urging people who are not vaccinated to get tested one to three days before traveling out of town, and then again when returning home.