Gov. Cooper: First Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine Arrive In North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced Monday morning that the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had arrived in the state.

Gov. Cooper made the announcement around 9:45 a.m. on Twitter describing the vaccine as an ‘achievement’. The shipment of the Pfizer vaccine arrives just days after receiving an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

“It’s a limited supply for now, but this is a remarkable achievement for science and health,” Cooper stated in the tweet.

The arrival of the vaccine in the state comes after North Carolina entered into a new ‘Modified Stay-At-Home Order’ on Friday along with multiple days of record breaking highs in positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Eleven health care providers across the state are expected to receive the first doses of the vaccine including Atrium Health in Charlotte.

“Atrium Health is the first health system in North Carolina to administer an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine,” Atrium Health stated in a news release.

Atrium Health’s Medical Director of Infection Prevention Dr. Katie Passaretti just became the first person in North Carolina to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

“A moment of hope, a moment of potential for change of the course that we are on with the pandemic right now,” Passaretti said after receiving the vaccine.

Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory and Lenior-based healthcare provider Caldwell Memorial Hospital are also on the list of the 11 providers in the state.

The governor closed his Twitter statement by informing the public to continue wearing a mask and acting responsibly while the state vaccinates individuals as fast as possible.