More Than 1,070 People Get Hepatitis A Vaccine After Possible Hardee’s Exposure
UPDATE: The final count of hepatitis A doses given at the Mecklenburg County Health Department clinics on June 27th was 1078.
980-314-9400 is the corrected hotline number for anyone with questions. It was previously listed as 980-314-9800.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – More than 1100 people in Charlotte received a Hepatitis A vaccine Wednesday. Many spent hours in line to make sure they are protected from the highly contagious virus.
4,000 people may have been exposed to Hep A at a Hardee’s Restaurant near the airport. “Well I’m kinda upset cause I had to take the day off,” explains West Charlotte resident Shana Byers.
She waited two hours for a shot Wednesday.
The line wrapped around the building at times outside the Health Department on Beatties Ford Road.
“I’m upset. I’m losing money, out of work because I love Hardee’s,” she says.
County health leaders say anyone who ate at the Little Rock Road location between June 13th and June 23rd is at risk of contracting Hepatitis A.
An employee who handles food was diagnosed with the highly contagious virus Monday.
The restaurant estimates they served more e 4,000 during that time period.
“We’ve ate there three times — me, my husband, and my daughter,” Byers explains.
While Byers is a regular, Tommy Beacham says he only ended up, by chance, at the location near the airport and I-85.
“Usually I’m going the other way, but I just happened to be going that way that morning, so I stopped real quick,” Beacham says.
He’s more annoyed than angry about having to wait in line.
“I just hate that you had to get a shot, but I’d rather do the shot than take a chance of not, you know,” he says.
Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibby Harris says if you think you might be impacted time is critical.
“You have a two week window, from the time you were exposed, to the vaccine being effective,” Harris says.
The Health Department informed county leaders and the public about the possible exposure on Tuesday.
Critics say they should have acted as soon as they knew about the sick employee late Monday.
“I feel like they should have got it out quicker,” Byers says.
Below is a vaccination clinic schedule from Mecklenburg County Public Health to get your Hep A shot. If you ate the Hardees during the aforementioned times, you could be at risk.
