RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) added information about people who are vaccinated for coronavirus to the state's COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday.
The information includes the number of people who receive the first dose of vaccine statewide, and it breaks down the data by the county in which people live.
NCDHHS said it would add information about people who received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in January.
The information shown on the dashboard Tuesday reflected less than a week of data for the state. NCDHHS said most hospitals in North Carolina didn't receive their first shipment of Pfizer's vaccine until December 17. It also noted that there can be a 72-hour lag in data reported to the state.
The dashboard Tuesday showed that 24,500 people received their first dose of vaccine.
Besides providing counts, the dashboard vaccination component of the dashboard provides statewide information about vaccinations by race, ethnicity, gender, and age group. Health officials said the data will provide insight into the total number of people vaccinated across the state and the different demographic groups that have received each dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Initial information will not cover vaccinations in long-term care facilities because the federal government is managing those through a contract with CVS and Walgreens. NCDHHS said it's working with both companies to access and report that data.
They said the vaccination data would be updated weekly on Tuesdays.
North Carolina’s information about people vaccinated comes from the COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS). Vaccine providers use the secure, web-based system know who has been vaccinated with which vaccine to make sure people get the second dose of the same vaccine at the right time. It also helps people register for vaccination at the appropriate time and allows the state to manage vaccine supply.
Information about vaccination is confidential health information that is managed to protect patient privacy. Information will not be shared except in accordance with state and federal law.
The state is prepared to receive around 60,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 176,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine. Officials will begin distributing the Moderna vaccine to 59 hospitals and 97 health department sites.
There's more information about the vaccines and vaccine distribution in North Carolina here.
The state's COVID-19 county alert system shows that as of Dec. 22, 65 counties are in the "red zone" which means there's critical community spread in those areas. Just 48 counties were in the red last week.
More than 90% of counties in North Carolina are in the orange or red zones, showing either substantial or critical transmission levels.
Governor Roy Cooper is urging citizens to abide by current restrictions, including the statewide mask mandate, and to socially distance themselves from others.