RALEIGH — Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary of Health and Welfare Cody H. Kinsley have been vaccinated to all North Carolina citizens as cases of COVID-19 reach record highs and hospitalizations increase. I called for a booster as soon as I was qualified. To protect yourself from serious illness from the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19.
“For those who have been vaccinated, especially those who have been boosted, the new Omicron variants were not as serious as the previous surge,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “These vaccines and boosters give us great tools to save people’s lives and overcome this pandemic. When it comes to administering more shots and boosters, we step into gas. increase.”
Early studies have shown that boosters significantly enhance someone’s immune response and provide greater protection against Omicron mutants than without the vaccine. Boosters are especially important for people over the age of 65 and other populations at high risk of serious illness due to COVID-19.
The governor and secretary also urged the use of appropriate multi-layer masks as another protective layer against the spread of the virus. If possible, wear a surgical or surgical mask, KN95, or N95. NCDHHS offers high quality masks that adults can use for free in more places, such as long-term care facilities and federal-qualified health centers. It is also available to people at high risk of exposure, such as school staff and migrant workers. Or a serious illness. These organizations and organizations that provide critical services can request these masks online at https: //covid19.ncdhhs.gov/RequestMasks and the request takes precedence.
“Testing and wearing a mask are essential tools to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Kinsley. “But the bottom line is that vaccines and boosters are the best you can do to protect your health.”
Governor Cooper also announced plans to extend Presidential Decree 224. It aims to control COVID-19 by requesting vaccines and testing state officials of cabinet agencies. The order defines a fully vaccinated one as two shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and directs the State Personnel Department to issue a policy to implement this requirement. did. Under the new order, OSHR will be empowered to include booster immunity in the definition of complete vaccination where appropriate.
To date, North Carolina has been vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine more than 14.8 million times, with 69% of the adult population fully vaccinated. Approximately 74% of adults receive at least one vaccination, including 95% of people aged 65 and over in North Carolina. About 44% of eligible adults receive booster shots.
Vaccines are available to people over 5 years old and boosters are available to people over 16 years old. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration approved boosters for children aged 12 to 15, but the CDC must take action before they become available. Today, the CDC has accepted the FDA’s recommendation to reduce Pfizer booster time from the second shot to five months. The CDC also recommended a third dose 28 days later for children aged 5 to 11 years with immunodeficiency.
Information on test locations, free tests, and home tests is available at ncdhhs.gov / gettested. North Carolina citizens can learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine at myspot.nc.gov (English) or Vacant.nc.gov (Spanish). Use NCDHHS’s online tool Finda Vaccine Location to find a nearby vaccination site. The North Carolina Vaccine Help Center (888-675-4567) can also help you with your booking. Open from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and from 8am to 4pm on weekends.
