Duke Health now offering COVID-19 vaccine to anyone over 75

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Duke Health is now giving the COVID-19 vaccine to people 75 and older; you do not need to be a Duke Health patient to get the vaccine.

They are rolling it out to the public after vaccinating 70-percent of Duke Health employees, including a husband and wife, Brett and Wesley Jordan.

"It's a really big relief to feel like you're probably going to be immune to COVID," Brett Jordan, a nurse at Duke Regional Hospital told ABC11. "It's part of our duty as nurses to get the vaccine and promote getting the vaccine."

Brett gave her husband the shot; Wesley is also a nurse with Duke Health.

"I felt overcome with feeling and grateful it was my wife who was able to give me that feeling," Wesley told ABC11.

The past nine months have been tough for Brett and Wesley as they work on the frontlines of the pandemic and worry about exposure to COVID-19.

"When I left the hospital, I had to sit in the truck for a minute because it was like this immense feeling of relief, finally made some progress," said Wesley.

They are two of 13,000 Duke Health employees who have received the vaccine.

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"We're going to be able to take those lessons learned now, apply that to patients, and as we get more vaccine," said Dr. Tom Owens, President of Duke University Hospital. "We'll be vaccinating tens of thousands of patients over the coming days."

On Wednesday, Duke began vaccinating people over the age of 75.

Hundreds of people in group 1B, which includes all adults 75 years or older, have received their first shot.

"We need to do everything we can to start bringing these numbers down from the peak that's really come up over the holiday season and colder weather," said Owens.

Anyone over the age of 75 can call the Duke COVID-19 hotline at 919-385-0429 to make an appointment to receive the vaccine.

The hotline is open every day from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.