North Carolina leaders assure COVID-19 vaccine efforts are 'speeding up every day'

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Tuesday, January 19, 2021
NC leaders assure vaccine efforts are 'speeding up every day'
According to the new data, we're learning a mere four percent of North Carolina's population has received the vaccine to date.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina leaders are trying to assure the public they are speeding up vaccination efforts every day.

According to the new numbers ABC11 received, we're learning a mere four percent of North Carolina's population has received the vaccine to date.

Governor Roy Cooper says he wishes there were more doses to give out.

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"Our goal is to make sure we distribute all of the vaccine that has been allotted to us by the federal government and to look at them and say 'We want a lot more,'" said Cooper.

Gov. Cooper and NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen toured the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, which is UNC Health's biggest and busiest vaccination clinics.

People were seen filing in, sitting down, and receiving a long-awaited immunization.

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Last week statewide, there was a 98 percent increase of the number of vaccinations from the week prior. New data shows triple the amount of people have completed the vaccine series.

UNC Health said it plans to give out about 10,000 doses this week across its 17 clinics and is hoping to double capacity if it receives more vials form the state.

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Dr. Cohen said efforts are being accelerated and progress is being made.

Many vaccination clinics in the state are now receiving up to 45,000 doses a week.

"Remember just one month ago, there was no vaccine here in North Carolina and now look at us a month in," said Cohen, who explained more than 450,000 people have been vaccinated.

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