Press Releases

North Carolina surpassed the 1 million mark of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across the state last Friday. This milestone capped a week when the state's vaccine providers administered more than 99% of first doses.

On January 27, North Carolina reported administering 99% of its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and as of this morning the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks the state as 6th in the nation for total doses administered, 12th for first doses administered per 100,000 people, and 17th for total doses administered per 100,000 people.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services has been awarded the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's 988 State Planning Grant through Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit administrator of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline). This grant, totaling $129,555, provides support to begin implementing the Lifeline's new 988 number.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will continue two programs that help North Carolinians access services such as relief payments, access to primary medical care, diagnostic testing, food and additional supports during the pandemic.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has expanded its vaccine data dashboard to provide information about vaccine doses promised to and received by the state. Users also will be able to see the percent of doses received that have been administered.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released the COVID-19 Community Readiness toolkit to help individuals find mental and behavioral health supports and resources in their communities.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launched a new online tool to help North Carolinians know when they will be eligible to get their vaccine. Find My Vaccine Group walks users through a series of questions to determine which vaccine group they are in. People can then sign up to be notified when their group can get vaccinated.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting the first identification in a North Carolina resident of the COVID-19 variant called B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the United Kingdom in December. The B.1.1.7 variant was identified in a sample from an adult in Mecklenburg County processed by Mako Medical Laboratories. To protect the privacy of the individual, no further information will be released.

Today, the NC Department of Transportation and the NC Department of Health and Human Services announced that approximately $2.5 million in Coronavirus Relief Funding is being distributed to local transit agencies across the state to help pay for rides for individuals who need transportation assistance to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced today that Legal Aid of North Carolina (Legal Aid) will provide Medicaid Managed Care Ombudsman services for the state's Medicaid beneficiaries.