WE'RE
WE'RE TALKING TO ONE OF THE BUSINESS OWNERS TONIGHT. THANK YOU+@ FOR JOINING US, FRED
SHROPSHIRE.
AND I'M SARA FRENCH.
SO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE
CAROLINAS WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO
GET THE COVID-19 VACCINE IN
LESS IN TWENTY FOUR HOURS.
NORTH CAROLINA EXPANDING ACCESS
TO ALL FRONTLINE WORKERS
STARTING TOMORROW AND SOUTH
CAROLINA ROUGHLY HALF OF ALL
RESIDENTS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR
THE VACCINE STARTING ON MONDAY
+@
RESIDENTS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE VACCINE STARTING ON MONDAY WITH SO MANY PEOPLE SOON TO BE
+@ELIGIBLE FOR THE VACCINE WILL@
THERE BE ENOUGH DOSES TO GO
AROUND?
TONIGHT WE'RE ASKING IF LOCAL
VACCINE PROVIDERS ARE READY TO
MAKE THIS MOVE.
BUT FIRST NANCY CHARLOTTES.
VANESSA RUFOUS BEGINS OUR TEAM
COVERAGE TONIGHT WITH A CLOSER
LOOK AT WHO I+@S ELIGIBLE UNDER
THESE NEW CHANGES AND WHEN THE
SUNNIS CHANGE, COMING TO OUR
+@
THESE NEW CHANGES AND WHEN THE SUNNIS CHANGE, COMING TO OUR AREA WILL HAPPEN WEDNESDAY.
NORTH CAROLINA FULLY OPENING TO@
GROUP THREE WHICH IS A WEEK
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
WE WERE HEARING MORE AND MORE
FROM A NUMBER OF PROVIDERS THAT
THEY WERE READY TO GO TO THIS
CATEGORY.
A REMINDER THAT GROUP THREE
INCLUDES FRONT LINE ESSENTIAL
WORKERS L+@IKE EDUCATORS, FIRST
RESPONDERS AND THOSE WHO WORK
+@ IN THE POSTAL SERVICE GROCERY
STORES, FOOD AND BEVERAGE AND
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
THESE ARE FOLKS THAT CANNOT BE
HOME TO DO THEIR JOB IF YOU ARE
ABLE TO WORK REMOTELY WE'D ASK
YOU TO WAIT FOR GROUP FOUR OR
BEYOND.
SPEAKING OF GROUP FOUR.
+@
BEYOND. SPEAKING OF GROUP FOUR. WE'VE ALSO LEARNED NORTH
CAROLINA PLANS TO HIT THIS
PHASE ON MARCH 4TH WE WILL
BEGIN GROUP FOUR WITH PEOPLE
WHO HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION
THAT PUTS THEM AT HIGHER RISK
FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS.
SOME OF THOSE MEDICAL
CONDITIONS INCLUDE ASTHMA,
CANCER, DIABETES, DOWN'S
SYNDROME AND ALSO PREGNANCY AND
SMOKING NON FRONT LINE
ESSENTIAL WORKERS LIKE THOSE IN
+@
SMOKING NON FRONT LINE ESSENTIAL WORKERS LIKE THOSE IN COMMUNICATIONS ENERGY,
FINANCIAL SERVICES OR PUBLIC
WORKS ARE ALSO IN GROUP FOUR
BUT ARE NOT AT THE HEAD OF THIS
LINE.
MEANTIME IN SOUTH CAROLINA WE
ARE NOW IN A POSITION TO MAKE
THE MAJORITY OF SOUTH
CAROLINIANS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE
THE VACCINE.
PHASE ONE B WILL START MONDAY.
THIS INCLUDES PEOPLE 55 AND
OLDER, THOSE WITH HIGHER RISK
MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND FRONT
LINE WORKERS.
PHASE ONE C STARTS AROUND APRIL
12TH.
THESE ARE PEOPLE 45 AND UP AND
NON FRONT LINE ESSENTIAL
WORKERS AND EVERYONE ELSE COULD
START AROUND MAY 3RD.
ALL THIS INFORMATION JUST
SCRATCHES THE SURFACE HERE WE
HAVE MORE DETAIL ON GROUPS AND
TIMELINES ON OUR WEBSITE W C
DOTCOM COM VANESSA RUFUS W C
AND C CHARLOTTE.
EVEN BEFORE THESE CHANGES WER+@E
ANNOUNCED TODAY WE'VE ALREADY
SEEN EVIDENCE THE DEMAND FOR
THESE VACCINES IS THROUGH THE
ROOF.
WE'VE WITNESSED PEOPLE SHOWING
UP IN BIG NUMBE+@RS TO LOCAL+@
VACCINE CLINICS AT PLACES LIKE
BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM IN
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY.
WE'VE HEARD FROM COUNTLESS
PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD TROUBLE EVEN
GETTING THROUGH TO MAKE ONE OF
THOSE APPOINTMENTS.
SUPPLY HAS BEEN AN ISSUE IN THE
SPOTLIGHT SINCE THE BEGINNING
OF THE VACCINE ROLLOUT AND NOW
IS EVEN MORE PEOPLE BECOME
ELIGIBLE.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOUR
CHANCES OF GETTING AN
APPO+@INTMENT ANY TIME SOON?
CHARLOTTE'S BRIANNA HARPER IS
TAKING A LOOK AT THE ISSUE.
SHE JOINS US WITH WHAT SHE'S
LEARNING TONIGHT.
INCREASED ELIGIBILITY MEANS THE
HOPE FOR MORE VACCINE SHOTS UP
FOR GRABS ALL ACROSS NORTH
CAROLINA.
BUT HERE MECKLENBURG COUNTY
PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR GIBI
HARRIS SAYS THEY STILL WANT TO
GIVE PRI+@ORITY TO THOSE AT THE
TOP OF GROUP THREE FIRST.
THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE IS THAT
WE HAVE NOT COME CLOSE TO
VACCINATING ALL OF THOSE PRE-K
OR 12 SCHOOL STAFF AND CHILD
CARE PROVIDERS FROM THERE THE
COUNTY SAYS THEY'LL START
TAKING APPOINTMENTS SCHEDULED
AFTER MARCH 10TH FOR THE REST
OF GROUP THREE AND THOSE ON THE
WAITING LIST BEGINNING THIS
WEEK THE STATE IS PROVIDING
10000 DOSES OF THE JOHNSON AND
JOHNSON VACCINE.
IN ADDITION TO MORE THAN 5000
DOSES OF FIZER ALL PROMISING
NEWS FOR PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AS
HE REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE
COUNTRY'S ABILITY TO OVERCOME
COVID-19 THIS COUNTRY W+@ILL HAE
ENOUGH VACCINE SUPPLY.
I SAY IT AGAIN FOR EVERY ADULT
IN AMERICA BY THE END OF MAY BY
THE END OF MAY THAT'S PROGRESS
+@ .
+@ .
+@ . YET
+@ . YET PROGRESS IS STILL SLOW FOR
MECKLENBURG COUNTY WHEN IT
COMES TO VACCINATING
MINORITIES, THE HOPE IS WITH
THE EASE OF THE ONE DOSE IN THE
JOHNSON AND JOHNS+@ON VACCINE
IT'LL BE MUCH EASIER OUTREACH
TO THOSE UNDERREPRESENTED
COMMUNITIES A REALLY GOOD USE
OF THAT VACCINE EVEN TO THE
PO+@INT WHERE WE MAY USE IT GOIG
DOOR TO DOOR FOR+@ THOSE