On-campus clinic on Aug. 26 with FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine

The Beaufort County Health Department will hold a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the Boyette Conference Center (Building 10) on Beaufort County Community College's campus. The clinic will take place on Thursday, August 26 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Recipients will have a choice between Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was fully approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday, August 23.

Vaccines are free. Bring your health insurance card if you have one, but no one will be turned away. The clinic is open to the public, and vaccines are available for anyone age 12 or older.

The clinic is part of Beaufort County Community College's effort to promote vaccination in light of the recent surge in cases of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. The college reinstated its indoor mask rule in response to low vaccination rates and high rates of transmission in the college's four-county service area. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), only 49 percent of the eligible population is vaccinated in Beaufort County, and that rate is 39 percent in Washington County, 40 percent in Tyrrell County, and 59 percent in Hyde County. All of BCCC's service area is listed as having a "high" rate of community transmission.

The college encourages vaccination as employees and students are in close proximity with other students and employees who travel between high schools, work places, and homes with varying safety protocols.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is fully approved by the FDA for ages 16 and up requires a second dose after 21 days or three weeks for full efficacy. Broad vaccination among eligible individuals will also help protect individuals who cannot get vaccinated such as children under 12 and people with medical complications.