CLEVELAND, N.C. — Starting Oct. 4, Cleveland county residents who roll up their sleeves for a COVID-19 vaccine will be given a $50 gift card.
The incentive program is all part of an effort to increase Cleveland County’s vaccination rate. Right now, roughly 50% of residents are fully vaccinated, according to the county’s health director, Tiffany Hansen.
“Our single-dose recipients, 55%, and for fully vaccinated 12+ eligible recipients we’re at 50%,” Hansen said Monday, adding, “We’re a little bit lower than where we would like to be, recognizing that those vaccination rates impact our hospital capacity and many of our resources in the county.”
In addition to possibly overwhelming the health care system, Hansen says the county’s COVID-19 positivity rate is still high at 14.9%, which she says equates to between 50 and 75 new cases every day.
“The majority of our hospitalizations are in unvaccinated individuals,” she said.
In addition to encouraging more residents to get vaccinated, Hansen says another goal of the incentive program is also geared toward people who she says received their first dose, but never returned for their second.
“We have a lot of folks that took advantage of the state vaccine program in August and maybe had received the $100 gift card and now we’re hoping to incentivize that 2nd dose to really get as many people as we can fully vaccinated,” she said, saying that as many as 30% never returned to get their second dose.
People who have only received 1 dose of either Pfizer or Moderna are not considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and the CDC says your chances of catching the virus are still high.
CDC guidance even says people who are only partially vaccinated, should still wear masks and socially distance when in public.
To be eligible for the $50 gift card, you must be a Cleveland County resident, twelve years of age or older who receives a first or second dose COVID-19 vaccine, starting Oct. 4. Children between the ages of 12-15 must have a parent or legal guardian present to consent to the vaccine and to receive the gift card on the child’s behalf, the county says.
The county says they have 1,500 gift cards, and they’ll be available while supplies last.
You may schedule an appointment for the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson vaccine at the Cleveland County Health Department by calling 980-484-6019. Cleveland County residents who receive their first or second dose vaccine at a provider other than the Cleveland County Health Department on or after October 4th may bring proof of their vaccine to the Cleveland County Health Department to receive their $50 gift card while supplies last, according to a release issued by the county.
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