Governor makes a special stop in Lexington to discuss vaccinations

Governor Roy Cooper smiles before his press conference at the Davidson County Health Department.
{Kassaundra Shanette Lockhart/Davidson Local}

Governor Roy Cooper’s messaging when he visited the Davidson County Health Department (DCHD) vaccine clinic Thursday morning was straightforward – “Vaccinations work.” Speaking to a small crowd of DCHD staff, elected officials, citizens and media, Cooper highlighted the necessity of vaccines.

“This pandemic has been such a challenge for North Carolina families. I’m so pleased we’ve progressed in getting people vaccinated. That’s why we’re able to emerge from this pandemic, why we’re able to hug our grandchildren and eat in a restaurant. And do the things we want to do because we’re getting more people vaccinated. They’re safe. They’re effective. They protect you, your family and your friends.”

Currently, over 81 percent of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 55 percent of adults have taken at least one shot. To entice more North Carolinians to get vaccinated, Cooper announced a major incentive last week.

Cooper detailed the state’s plans for improving vaccination numbers.
{Kassaundra Shanette Lockhart/Davidson Local}

Any North Carolina resident, ages 18 or older, whose had their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one million. Youth, ages 12 to 17, who’ve had their first dose will be eligible to win $125,000 towards their post-secondary education at any institution. Those who receive their first shot on or after June 10 will be entered into the drawing twice.

Drawings will take place every other week on Wednesdays with the first drawing on June 23. New entries will close at midnight on the Sunday prior to the Wednesday drawing. Winners will be verified and then announced. Federal Coronavirus Relief Funds will be used to pay for the prizes. No state funds will be expended.

“We’re doing everything we can to get more people vaccinated,” said Cooper. “We’re pulling out the stops. We wanted to come today to highlight the fact that this is your shot at a million. This has worked in other states. Ohio was the first state that did it. We saw a lot of people getting vaccinations right before the first drawing. We’re hoping we’ll see an uptick significantly as we get closer. We believe with more publicity, we’ll see more people getting vaccinated.”

In rural communities, vaccination rates haven’t been ideal. At the state level, action is being taken to improve numbers as well as instill trust about the vaccinations.

“We continue to focus on our minority and underserved communities because we’ve seen lower rates of vaccinations there; but that’s across the country. In North Carolina, we’ve made a conservative effort and we continue to make progress in those areas. We’ve had some success working with churches and other people of faith, community groups and employers. We would like to get as many people vaccinated as possible. We talked about getting 66% of our population vaccinated. I believe we can. There’s still a large number of people who are hesitant though amenable to getting a shot. Promotions like this and encouragement from family and friends can get people vaccinated. If you’re hesitant, talk to your doctor. Your doctor is going to tell you yes, it will protect you. We have a more infectious and dangerous delta variant that is sweeping across the country mostly among unvaccinated people. This is coming and we could potentially have another surge. We want to avoid more sickness and death. We want everybody to get vaccines, so please do.”

Before departing DCHD to make the short trip to the Barbecue Center for lunch, Cooper spoke with office staff and visitors after a tour of the facility. He noted the additional work that is taking place in public health.

“We also know the importance of health departments that are tackling everyday preventive care and helping people with their chronic diseases. We’ve been so appreciative of the great working relationships we’ve had with the DCHD and health departments across North Carolina because we’re all in this thing together.”

For more information about the Summer Cash and College Tuition Drawings, click here. For additional information or any questions regarding COVID vaccines from the DCHD, please visit their Facebook page Davidson County Health Department - Home.