NC eyes door-to-door approach to get low-income residents vaccinated
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- For weeks, COVID-19 vaccination rates in North Carolina have hovered around the 50% mark, far short of Gov. Roy Cooper's goal of two-thirds vaccinated before lifting the indoor mask mandate.
An analysis by our newsgathering partners at the News & Observer of neighborhood-level vaccine data released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is lagging behind. The data gives a better idea of which neighborhoods or smaller communities are and aren't getting vaccinated.
A common thread in the neighborhoods that are lagging behind in vaccinations is income; the fully vaccinated are often concentrated in areas with wealth.
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"The problem isn't that people in low-income areas don't want the vaccine any more than other areas, but there are barriers to them getting that vaccine," said Tyler Dukes, a reporter with the News & Observer.
Dukes says finding time, transportation and daycare are all likely barricades.
In an effort to get the state closer to the two-thirds vaccinated goal, the state will begin switching its efforts from mass-vaccination clinics to more intimate settings like going door-to-door.
Just this week, the state announced the launch of the Your Shot at $1 Million cash drawing for people who get or have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine.
"This is your shot at a million. Regardless of who wins, there's no way to lose," Cooper said Thursday. "A chance at a million dollars is pretty good motivation. But even if your name isn't drawn, the worst you'll do is get strong protection from a deadly virus."
The first drawing will be June 23 and they will occur every other week until the last one Aug. 4. The drawings will take place every other Wednesday.
