Despite the state’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts slowing, Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday he still wants two-thirds of all adult North Carolinians to have at least one dose before lifting the indoor mask mandate.
Cooper made the remarks while touring a vaccination site at MEDIC’s headquarters on Wilkinson Boulevard in Charlotte.
Just under 50% of North Carolina residents 18 or older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
When Cooper announced a plan on April 21 to lift restrictions, the state had vaccinated 46.9% of adults.
But the rate of vaccination has slowed greatly, with the state now only vaccinating 1/10th of a percent or 2/10ths of a percent of adults daily.
Cooper said he’s sticking with his original plan.
“We want to keep the indoor mask requirement in effect until we can get to 66% of the population with at least one shot,” he said.
The governor, however, did leave the door open to lowering that goal. He said he would study “trends and data” and that would ultimately guide the state policy.
North Carolina is below the national average for how many people have been vaccinated. The state has vaccinated just under 40% of its entire population with at least one shot. The national average is 45%.
Cooper said the state is still on track to lift all social distancing, capacity, and mass gathering restrictions by June 1.
