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SMITHFIELD &mdash; The Johnston County Public Health Department on Friday held its largest COVID-19 vaccination clinic yet.
With help from paramedics and school nurses, health department nurses gave 1,450 people a literal shot in the arm. That easily topped the 500 doses at West Johnston High School on Jan. 12 and the 800 at North Johnston High. But it also bested the 1,200 doses on Jan. 19 at Corinth Holders High.
For Friday&rsquo;s clinic at Johnston Community College, some people began lining up the night before, and by the time shots started at 8:40 a.m., more than 1,000 people were in line to receive their first dose of the vaccine.
Soon, Friday&rsquo;s clinic reached its capacity, with sheriff&rsquo;s deputies keeping count of how many people were in line. When their count got 1,450, the county quickly spread word online so that people would not come to JCC only to be disappointed.
&ldquo;I do not want to have to turn people away,&rdquo; said Lu Hickey, the county&rsquo;s public information.
Not all of the 1,450 doses on Friday came to Johnston directly from the state. Johnston Health gave some vials to the health department, as did counties where demand for the vaccine has been tepid.
That multi-agency effort is one reason that Johnston is vaccinating people at a decent clip, Hickey said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re Johnston County,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We come together so we can be able to do this.&rdquo;
The county&rsquo;s drive-thru clinics are also getting an assist now from National Guardsmen who collect information from those getting shots.

Latest clinic gives 1,450 people a shot in the arm

JHN LOC Latest clinic photo.jpg

In Johnston, health care workers have been among the most reluctant to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
&ldquo;I see sort of suspicion and distrust in the medical field throughout all populations,&rdquo; said Dr. Rod McCaskill, the chief medical officer at Johnston Health in Smithfield.
Nationwide, among the hesitant are pregnant women and women who are trying to become pregnant.
Part of that reluctance might stem from the fact that pregnant women were not part of the clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccines, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But the CDC also notes that pregnant women are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and that pregnant women who contract COVID-19 are more prone to preterm births.
McCaskill&rsquo;s advice to women who want to become pregnant is to wait 30 days so they can receive both doses of the vaccine. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there is a risk to getting the vaccine while trying to get pregnant,&rdquo; he added.
As for pregnant women, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s better to get vaccinated earlier in pregnancy than get COVID later in the pregnancy,&rdquo; McCaskill said.
Another concern for health officials is the hesitancy among Blacks and Latinos to receive the vaccine. So far in North Carolina, Blacks have accounted for just 10% of vaccine recipients, while Latinos have made up just 3%.
McCaskill thinks leaders in those communities could help instill faith and trust not just in the vaccine but in the medical field itself.&nbsp;
McCaskill is a vaccine proponent in part because he worries about the possible long-term effects of COVID-19. &ldquo;Young people may think they&rsquo;re going to be fine, but they may end up having shortness of breath and other issues for months,&rdquo; he said.
This condition is known as post-COVID syndrome. And its symptoms include fatigue, difficulty breathing, memory problems, sleeping issues and chest pain.
No one knows for sure yet, but McCaskill worries that some of the effects could last a lifetime. &ldquo;If you have lung damage from COVID, some damage could be permanent,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Definite answers, we don&rsquo;t know, but theoretically, there is a chance.&rdquo;
That&rsquo;s why McCaskill encourages Johnstonians to get the vaccine when their time comes. &ldquo;To me, it&rsquo;s a no-brainer,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The risk of the vaccine is lower than the risk of getting COVID to you.&rdquo;

On vaccine, doctor says ‘To me, it’s a no-brainer’

JHN LOC Vaccine hesitation McCaskill mug.jpg