SALISBURY — Rowan County on Monday saw its 302nd reported death attributed to COVID-19.

Reported by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the 302nd death is the county’s 130th death this year and second death reported in May. The exact date and demographic information associated with the death wasn’t immediately clear because that information lags behind and is not made clear for individual deaths in data published online by the state agency.

Meanwhile, with supply of the COVID-19 vaccine still outpacing demand, the Rowan County Health Department will host its final second-dose mass vaccination clinic on Wednesday at West End Plaza.

The Health Department has been tapering off its mass vaccination events at West End Plaza in the past several weeks as vaccines have become more widely available and less sought after. 

The Health Department administered 11,555 first doses and 11,388 second doses during clinics at West End Plaza, interim Health Director Alyssa Harris reported. The number of second doses administered will likely increase during the last second dose clinic on Wednesday. 

People who received their first dose but missed their second dose appointment can call the Health Department’s appointment line at 980-432-1800 and select option No. 3. North Carolina is now allowing people to visit a different vaccine provider to receive their second dose. Harris said the Health Department currently recommends Novant Health’s vaccine clinic. 

In a news release announcing the last second dose clinic at West End Plaza, the Health Department stated that it will now shift its focus to target “more local businesses and areas throughout Rowan County where access may be an issue.”

Instead of hosting its own clinics, the Health Department will now funnel those interested in getting their first dose to other local agencies and businesses. People still needing a vaccine can turn to one of these locations:

• Novant Health at the J.F. Hurley YMCA in Salisbury, 828 Jake Alexander Blvd. W. Walk-ins are accepted Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Chain pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens.
• Grocery stores such as Walmart, Food Lion in Salisbury and China Grove as well as Sam’s Club.
• Local pharmacies such as Moose Pharmacy, the Medicine Shoppe, Country Pharmacy in Rockwell, Price Pharmacy and Cannon Pharmacy.
• Rowan Diagnostic Clinic and Cleveland Wellness Clinic.

The Health Department also encourages people to use the Centers for Disease Control’s vaccine finder tool at vaccines.gov to find other nearby locations providing vaccines. Every North Carolina resident age 16 or older is eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Adults can receive the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

In Rowan County, 39,185 people, or roughly 27.6% of Rowan County’s total population, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to NCDHHS. The data does not include people who received a vaccine from the Salisbury VA. 

The current number of people in Rowan County who are considered fully vaccinated, having received both doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, is at least 38,953, with 5,030 of those having completed their vaccinations at the Salisbury VA. Veterans, their spouses and caregivers are currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at the Salisbury VA. Veterans may schedule an appointment by calling 800-706-9126. Spouses and caregivers must register with the VA’s eligibility office in order to get an appointment.

Across the state of North Carolina, the number of people in the state who have received at least one dose is 4.2 million, or 40.1% of the state’s population. At least 3.68 million people in North Carolina have been fully vaccinated, which is 35.1% of the population and 44.5% of people 18 and older.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 154.82 million Americans have received at least one dose, which is roughly 46% of the total population and 58.2% of people 18 and older. The CDC reports that 83.7% of the U.S. population 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

In other COVID-19 data:

• There have been 174 reported COVID-19 cases in Rowan County over the last seven days, which is slightly lower than the 178 cases the week days prior. Over the last 14 days, the county has 352 total cases. The total number of cases in the county since the beginning of the pandemic is 16,385.

• The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Rowan County’s region — the Triad Health Care Preparedness Coalition — was 206 on Monday, down from the 212 hospitalized on Friday.