• By Todd Luck
• Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Public Health, Wake and Novant planning for winter weather at vaccination sites

Forsyth County Department of Public Health, Novant Health, and Wake Forest Baptist Health are all planning for vaccine shipment delays and the possibility that winter weather could interfere with vaccine operations.

Vaccine shipments for this week have already been delayed due to weather conditions. Shipments are typically received on Tuesday or Wednesday of each week. At this time, it’s uncertain when they will arrive. This could cause some vaccination appointments to be rescheduled.

Road conditions and power outages on Thursday could affect the ability of vaccination sites to conduct appointments and further delay vaccine shipments. If vaccination sites have to close or appointments have to be rescheduled, each organization will inform the public through their websites, social media and the news media. They will also each inform their own patients of the changes in their appointments.

If Forsyth County Public Health has to close or delay its vaccination site due to inclement weather on Thursday, appointments will be rescheduled for Thursday, February 25.

Novant Health is evaluating the need to postpone first dose appointments scheduled for Thursday, February 18 and Friday, February 19. Patients will be contacted directly if their appointment needs to be rescheduled. The second dose vaccination event at St. Peter's Church & World Outreach Center will continue as planned on Saturday, February 20.

Wake Forest Baptist Health has already received its second-dose vaccines for this week. Atrium Health is transferring some first doses to Winston-Salem to help cover the needs for a short time if shipments continue to be delayed due to weather. Patients who have vaccinations scheduled will be notified as soon as possible if appointments need to be rescheduled.

All three organizations are equipped with backup power to keep the vaccines at the proper temperature for storage in the event of a power outage.