N. Carolina To Get 85,000 Initial Pfizer COVID Vaccine Doses

North Carolina will soon get about 85,000 doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. Gov. Roy Cooper and state Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen say healthcare workers will be the first to receive it. Nursing home staff and residents and people who self-report at least two serious underlying health issues will be next in line. Cooper said the state is working through logistical challenges in getting the vaccine to rural communities that lack sufficient storage capacity. The first disbursement of vaccines comes as North Carolina is seeing its highest count of COVID hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic. More than 2,000 patients are currently hospitalized.