Wake Tech students join North Carolina COVID-19 vaccination efforts

More than a dozen Wake Tech Community College pharmacist students are now qualified to administer COVID-19 vaccines.

Wake Tech partnered with Campbell University on Friday to offer training to students.

"Tis very important right now because COVID-19 has affected all of us and I feel by us getting to herd immunity quicker we can get back to more sense of normalcy," said Wake Tech student Alyssa Jenkins.

Jenkins is graduating next week but excited to start immediately to ease the workload of the pharmacist in her clinical.

"Just having more of us will really help pharmacists and help doctors and get to herd immunity quicker," Jenkins said.

The Wake Tech students are the latest pharmacy technicians to be certified to vaccinate,

Dr. Andy Bowman said instructors with Campbell University have added around 150 technicians to the state's vaccination efforts.

This training is only possible due to changes to a federal law made in December that now allows pharmacy technicians to administer vaccines.

"It's a huge impact all over the country in that we have a lot of people to vaccinate not only for COVID but keeping up with the other childhood vaccines that need to happen," Bowman explained. "Pharmacists couldn't get it done by themselves, so there was a concern about the impact on the work condition in pharmacy practices."

Bowman said allowing technicians to administer vaccines will assist the state in offering more mass vaccination clinics and expanding options at pharmacies.

North Carolina officials are working to further expand vaccine access in an effort to increase the state's vaccination rate.

Around 300 pharmacies across the state are offering the COVID-19 vaccine, according to NCDHHS data.

To find a pharmacy or other vaccine provider near you, check here.

Currently, around half of the state's adults are partially vaccinated.

Governor Roy Cooper said if 66% of adults receive a vaccine, he will no longer mandate masks indoors.