CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Saturday marks one year since the Charlotte area saw its first mass vaccination site pop up with Atrium Health.
Thousands of people drove their cars through Charlotte Motor Speedway to get the vaccine. It was the first of many mass vaccine clinics and community-based events throughout the Charlotte area to make the vaccine more accessible to the public.
"It really gave us a lot of hope,” Becky Fox, MSN, RN-BC, chief nursing informatics officer at Atrium Health, said. “Hope of what can happen when everyone comes together. Hope in how we can make an impact to a pandemic, and as we look to the future, we're hoping that we can continue on that journey and really making a difference for everyone."
Atrium Health said more than 15,000 people were vaccinated that weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
"We like to go big and really make an impact, and we do think that that had a significant impact in the community to keep our rates a lot lower to save lives and make a difference,” Fox said.
In the months that followed, Atrium Health continued to host mass vaccination events at other sites, including Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte Douglas Airport, local breweries, and other community sites.
More than a year after vaccines started being administered in the U.S., 74% of adults in North Carolina have been vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Amid the omicron spike, the state is seeing record-high case counts and hospitalizations.
However, according to state data, the number of people dying from COVID-19 is far less than previous spikes.
Atrium Health reported on Jan. 18 that 92% of COVID-19 patients on life support are unvaccinated.
"When we look at the number of patients that we're caring for, the number of patients that are in the hospital and in the ICU,” Fox said, “we know that the vaccines are safe, and they make a difference."
While mass vaccination clinics are no longer needed a year later with plenty of supplies and appointments readily available, Fox said she hopes that reflecting on the hope seen at mass vaccine clinics a year ago will serve as inspiration for others to get the vaccine and get a booster.
"Boosters and vaccines are continuing to be an important part,” Fox said. “We know they work, and we need our community to get behind that, get their booster, and most importantly, stay safe."
Contact Kendall Morris at kmorris2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.