(FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) - The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced a significant milestone in the fight against COVID-19. Seventy percent of North Carolinians age 18 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
"COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be our best tool for preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19," said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. “Seventy percent of North Carolinians have sought out reliable information and decided to protect themselves and others with tested, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. If you’re not vaccinated, it’s not too late. Just don’t wait."
COVID-19 vaccines offer significant protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death, NCDHHS said. "People who are not fully vaccinated are more than 18 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who are fully vaccinated," NCDHHS said in a written statement released on Thursday.
NCDHHS said this protection will be strengthened and extended through booster shots for people who are 65 and over, have a high-risk medical condition, work in higher risk settings or live or work in a place where many people work together. Boosters are currently available for people who received their second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least six months ago.
Ongoing research on the safety of COVID-19 has made the vaccines available to more people, including teens ages 12-17. In addition, clinical trials are being completed and analyzed for children 5-11.
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