NC vaccination rates plateau with only 48% of adults fully vaccinated

The rush to get a coronavirus vaccine has died down, data shows. Vaccination rates across the United States and in North Carolina are plateauing.

Posted 5:09 p.m. May 26, 2021 — Updated 9:38 p.m. May 26, 2021

Adam Owens

, WRAL reporter

The rush to get a coronavirus vaccine has died down, data shows. Vaccination rates across the United States and in North Carolina are plateauing.

In early April, more than half a million people in North Carolina got a shot administered. Last week, that number dropped to around 226,000.

Young adults are the largest group of people that health officials are trying to convince to get vaccinated.

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About 53% of people aged 18 and older have gotten at least one dose, while nearly 80% of North Carolinians aged 65 and older have had at least one dose, data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows.

To try and encourage young adults to get vaccinated, the White House teamed up with Snapchat. Users will be able to use an augmented reality lens that features President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Dr. Anthony Fauci to ask questions about the vaccine. More than half of all US internet users aged 13 to 24 use Snapchat, research shows.

Vaccine hesitancy

Vaccine hesitancy is highest among Fox News viewers and Snapchat users, a Morning Consult poll says. Nearly 30% of people who use Snapchat say they are "unwilling" to get vaccinated. About 20% of Fox News viewers report they are unwilling to get vaccinated.

Half of all US adults are fully vaccinated. In North Carolina, a little more than 48% of adults are fully vaccinated. About 62% of people across the country have received their first dose — while in North Carolina, that number is around 53%.

Vaccine rates low among some high-risk populations in North Carolina

Robeson County has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state. The county not only has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita, it also also has the highest poverty rate in the state. Robeson also has one of the highest vaccine hesitancy rates in the state, CDC data shows.

About 24% of all North Carolinians are hesitant to get vaccinated, data shows.

People who work in agriculture, food service and construction are the most wary to get vaccinated, polls show.

Disparities in NC's vaccine roll out

A majority of the state's vaccines were given to White people. Nearly 18% of vaccines were given to Black North Carolinians even though they make up 23% of the population.

In the five months since the vaccine has been available, disparities have been noticed across wealth lines. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports Orange County has the highest personal income per capita. The county also has the third-highest vaccination rate, with 47% of residents receiving their first dose.

By contrast, Northampton County has the highest mortality rate in the state and only a third of the population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to state data.