Onslow Memo­r­i­al Hos­pi­tal Trans­fers COVID-19 Vac­cines to Onslow Coun­ty Health Department

ONSLOW COUNTY, N.C - On December 17, 2020, Onslow Memorial Hospital (OMH) received its first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and began inoculating employees the following day. As vaccine distribution continues in a phased approach across the state, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has expanded vaccine eligibility criteria to include individuals 75 and older, which went into effect on December 30.

To support the Onslow County Health Department (OCHD) in their mission to improve the health and well-being of Onslow County, and to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in our community, OMH has transferred 120 vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to the OCHD. This equates to approximately 600-700 doses of the vaccine. The transfer of the vaccine will increase supply to the OCHD to support community demand as the state moves through the designated prioritization phases. The COVID-19 vaccine will continue to be available to OMH employees on a voluntary basis.

“We are excited to support our community in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by transferring these much-needed vaccines to our partners at the OCHD,” said OMH President and CEO, Dr. Penney Burlingame Deal, DHA, RN, FACHE. “The OCHD has played such a crucial role in our community’s response to COVID-19 and we are grateful for their work in distributing vaccines to Onslow County residents.”

“The Onslow County Health Department is working hard to save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Kristen Richmond-Hoover, Onslow County Public Health Director. “While phase 1 A focused on those with the highest risk of exposure--our healthcare workers who are vital to caring for others with this disease; we are now reaching out to those with the highest risk of severe illness and death, ages 75.”

The transfer of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to another health care entity is monitored and regulated by the NCDHHS and requires certain qualifications and protocols to be met. A request must be submitted and approved by the state in order for the transfer to take place.

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit https://vaccine.unchealthcare.org/. To see if you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, please visit https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines. To schedule an appointment to receive your COVID-19 vaccine, please call the OCHD at 910-347-2154.