County’s full COVID-19 vaccinations top 22,600

Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 15, 2021

SALISBURY — State data show 22,610 Rowan County residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The number includes people who have received both doses of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and a single shot from the Johnson & Johnson variety, which federal health officials recommended halting the use of while they investigate six incidents across the country related to rare blood clots. Full vaccinations are about 9,000 fewer than the 31,682 people who are considered partially vaccinated.

Of Rowan County residents who are fully vaccinated, 82.1% are white, 12.2% are Black or African-American, 1.2% are Asian or Pacific Islander, 0.3% are American Indian or Alaskan Native and the remainder are other races or not disclosed.

Ethnic data show 2.7% of Rowan residents fully vaccinated are Hispanic.

The 65 to 74 age group, which is about 10.4% of the Rowan County population, is 36.3% of the full vaccinations, the highest of any age group. While the 25 to 49 age group is 30.7% of the population in Rowan County, a plurality, it represents just 15.5% of the full vaccinations.

Women continue to lead men by a significant margin for number of people vaccinated and percent of population vaccinated.

COVID-19 positives in the county remain relatively steady, with 396 reported in the previous two weeks. There have been 299 deaths in Rowan County since the start of the pandemic, with no new deaths reported this week. Hospitalizations in Rowan County’s region — the 18-county Triad Health Care Preparedness Coalition have increased slightly since last week — from 189 to 223. It’s roughly the same level that hospitalizations were at in mid-March.

Statewide, about 42% of residents are partially vaccination and 32% are fully vaccination. The number of newly reported positives on Wednesday was 2,359.

The state says 12,325 people have died from COVID-19 in North Carolina since the start of the pandemic, which is slightly more than the combined populations of China Grove, Spencer, Granite Quarry and Rockwell.