The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated vaccination data from the U.S. Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Prisons to more accurately reflect the county of residence for the person vaccinated. The updated data will result in the vaccination rate changing for the state and for several counties on the North Carolina COVID-19 Dashboard.
The vaccination data updated today results in more than 100,000 additional first and second doses administered in the state, increasing the rate of adults vaccinated with at least one dose to 75%. At the county level, most impacted counties will see an increase in vaccination rates, and 12 counties will see an increase of 2% or more and two counties will see a decrease of 1% or more.
The CDC completed an analysis of federal agency data and determined a reporting update was necessary to ensure improved data accuracy and quality. The update now ensures that across the nation, all data from the Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Prisons is based on county of residence rather than county of administration, and in cases when county of residence is blank, other address fields are used to derive the county of residence. The update impacts all states’ vaccination data.
The new analysis came at the request of NCDHHS following its work with the CDC in 2021 to address a CDC vaccination report that used the county of administration — as opposed to the county of residence — for people vaccinated by the Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service. The CDC revised its report to align with all other vaccine data and use county of residence. And in October 2021, NCDHHS updated its vaccination data accordingly.
Today’s update will most affect vaccination rates in 14 counties. Specifically, Bladen (+19%), Greene (+15%), Hoke (+9%), Camden (+9%), Carteret (+9%), Chatham (+6%), Jones (+4%), Harnett (+4%), Moore (+4%), Currituck + (3%), Duplin (+3%), Onslow (+2%), Cumberland (-1%) and Wayne (-4%) will see the greatest impact. Other counties will either see no change or see a small increase of 1% or less.
The change in county data for federal entities will not impact the state’s demographic data, which does not include vaccinations provided by the Department of Defense or Federal Bureau of Prisons, nor Veteran Affairs or Indian Health Services.
The information on the data dashboard is used to promote equity, track progress and guide decision-making, and NCDHHS has worked throughout the pandemic to provide the most accurate information to local and state leaders to inform decision-making.
North Carolinians can go to MySpot.nc.gov to find a vaccine location near them and make an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or booster. The North Carolina Vaccine Help Center at 888-675-4567 can also help you make an appointment. It is open 7 a.m.–7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on weekends.
Questions about the Tiberius Federal Agency Vaccination Report and the CDC COVID Data Tracker can be directed to the CDC Immunization Information System Support Branch at hbv8@cdc.gov.