CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County health officials expressed confidence that they can work through the monkeypox vaccine waiting list in the coming days after administering hundreds of doses during Charlotte Pride weekend.
Dr. Raynard Washington said Mecklenburg County is down to about 660 people on the list. The health department anticipates getting those folks set with appointments by the end of the week. Washington called vaccine distribution during Pride weekend a "success," praising staff workers for meeting at-risk individuals in public settings.
Washington said the county vaccinated roughly 540 people who meet North Carolina's criteria for high risk. As of Tuesday afternoon, 3,300 people have been vaccinated in Mecklenburg County.
"It was truly a team effort to quickly mobilize, to be strategic in our approach and pivoting to the intradermal injection route," Washington said. "As well as ensuring we offered care to patients in a manner that was respectful and also focused on those who needed services and care the most without exacerbating stigma."
During Tuesday's update, Washington confirmed Mecklenburg County has one pediatric case of monkeypox, meaning a patient under 18. The county also has the largest case count in North Carolina with 115 confirmed cases. Six of those cases have required hospitalization. No patients have died from monkeypox in Mecklenburg County.
Washington said new data reviewed Monday showed progress in the fight to slow the spread of monkeypox. He said there was a notable improvement in making the monkeypox vaccine more equitable across all demographics during Charlotte Pride.
"We are seeing a slowing of the rate of growth in cases here in Mecklenburg County," Washington said. "We feel confident that we are seeing some slowing of growth, which is certainly encouraging. I'm 100% sure that's at least in part due to the work we're doing here at Mecklenburg County Public Health."
Statewide, cases appear to be flattening after showing larger increases in late July and early August. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data even shows recent days with no new monkeypox cases reported.
When asked how schools should handle any students who have monkeypox vaccines, Washington said there isn't a major concern about widespread transmission in K-12 schools. He did say they are having meetings with colleges and universities in the area that have congregate living to guide school officials and students about what to do if there's a case of monkeypox on campus.
"We are working with both CMS, as well as our other institutions," Washington said. "The messaging at the K-12 level is really more targeted at parents. We've prepared school nurses so they know what to look for in terms of signs and symptoms and how to respond if a child presents on campus with symptoms consistent with monkeypox.
"While anyone's at risk for monkeypox, specifically those who aren't vaccinated, its ability to transmit is a lot more difficult than something like COVID. There does need to be that longer-term physical contact with someone else that doesn't happen as often in school settings."
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