Several North Carolina COVID-19 vaccine providers have been investigated for not complying with state distribution guidelines.
A spokesperson says the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has received eight complaints about providers not following the rules. The majority were related to line skipping — providers giving shots to those who don’t qualify for them under the state’s priority guidelines.
At a press conference last week, Deputy Health Secretary Kody Kinsley said providers found in violation could receive fewer vaccine doses as a result.
“For those times where folks are egregiously or intentionally stepping out of the phase, we want to learn about that and hopefully work with those providers to get them back into compliance, to do the right thing," said Kinsley. "And then we will take into account their allocations if we need to, if they continue to step out of phase unnecessarily.”
Of the eight complaints received, six were resolved through education or dismissed due to lack of evidence. Investigations are ongoing in the last two cases.
Health department officials say North Carolinians can report providers they believe are selling vaccines or disregarding eligibility guidelines by calling the state’s COVID-19 Help Center at 1-888-675-4567.
This story is republished from WFDD.org.