LEXINGTON, N.C. (WGHP) -- During a press conference on Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters it was irresponsible to not get vaccinated against COVID-19.
So why are people waiting to get their shot?
FOX8 crews wanted to find out.
Seventeen people trickled into the Arcadia Fire Department in Lexington on Thursday to get vaccinated.
Davidson County Health Department officials said that was the most they've seen at a rural clinic in a long time.
Everyone had their own reasons for showing up.
"My age and the second reason is, I'm around a lot of people a lot," Van Over said.
"Most of [the people] were health care workers, so they could make sure they met their mandate for work," said Jennifer Bowling, a community health nurse with the Davidson County Health Department.
"My buddy talked me into getting the first shot, and I figured I'd get the second one," Randy Farmer said.
Just getting through the doors to the fire department was over four months in the making.
There was fear and a lot of hesitancy.
"All of the gossip and that stuff," Farmer said. "The negativity, I guess. It scared a lot of people."
"I was kind of waiting to see the effects on it and to see things come out," Over said.
That's all changing as new COVID case counts across the country and in the Triad continue to climb.
Angie Betancur, 15, told FOX8 she is excited to start high school in August.
Her private school makes mask-wearing optional, which is something she doesn't entirely agree with.
"Some of the people wore masks [in the spring] but not everyone," Betancur said. "I feel like it's better to take care of everyone and be sure not to get it from someone else. I also think it's kind of selfish because we need to worry about everyone."
Over wants to see family members who he hasn't gotten the chance to meet yet.
"I got a new grandson," he said proudly.
He's worried about the Delta variant, and what may happen if people continue to hold off on getting their shots.
"We might go backwards," Over said. "I think if everyone got out and got vaccinated, we're going to slow this down a bit."
The seats in the fire department may not have been filled during the six-hour vaccination clinic, but health care workers told FOX8 it's a big step in the right direction.
"I don't know if we really set a goal every single day, but if we can do one more than the next day, then it's great," Bowling said.
The Davidson County Health Department will continue to hold clinics both at the headquarters in Lexington and throughout the community.
Their schedule is posted on their website.
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