SMITHFIELD — Over five days in late December and early January, the county offered the COVID-19 vaccine to its first responders.

The response was tepid.

“I think there’s still some hesitancy toward” the vaccine, Kevin Hubbard, head of emergency services, told county commissioners on Jan. 4. “Our (vaccination) numbers are not proportionately high to our total staff.”

That reluctance isn’t confined to first responders. Johnston Health, with hospitals in Clayton and Smithfield, recently transferred 975 doses to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, where demand among employees is higher, said April Culver, vice president of communications.

“We do encounter coworkers that are concerned or express some hesitancy with receiving the vaccine,” Culver said in an email. “Some simply do not want to be ‘first in line’ due to the novelty of the vaccine, while a few others are not well versed on the science behind the vaccine.”

“We are working to fully educate our coworkers so they are able to make an informed decision,” she said.

At Johnston Health, 43% of workers have received the vaccine, but while the percentage is low, it’s still a substantial number. “At the end of today’s schedule, we will have given 940 recipients their first dose of the vaccine,” Culver said on Jan. 4.

Dr. Marilyn Pearson, head of the Johnston County Public Health Department, said the vaccine only appeared rushed. “The COVID-19 vaccine was developed based on decades of work on similar viruses, so scientists had a head start,” she said in an email.

“The vaccine is safe and effective and is one tool that can help get us through this pandemic,” Pearson added.

Culver said Johnston Health expected to expand vaccinations in the days ahead. “We are anticipating an additional disbursement from DHHS this week in order to vaccinate those in Phase 1b and to administer the second doses to our Phase 1a recipients,” she said.

Phase 1b includes health care workers and frontline essential workers.