Granville-Vance Public Health is open each weekday to provide COVID-19 vaccines from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at both the Henderson and Oxford locations. First doses, second doses, booster doses, and even pediatric doses all are available. Only Pfizer is authorized for children, but all three vaccine types are available – Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, according to information from the health department.

With the identification of the new Omicron variant, President Joe Biden said today in a White House briefing about next steps. “(T)his variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” Biden told members of the press. Health professionals, including White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, continue to promote vaccination against the disease as the prime factor for reducing transmission.

In the seven days ending Saturday, Nov 27, there were 67 new cases in Vance County. The percent positivity rate in Vance County is 5.2%.

In the seven days ending Saturday, Nov. 27, there were 94 new cases in Granville County. The percent positivity rate in Granville County is 4.6%.

These numbers put both counties in the category of “high” community transmission, according to information from GVPH.

In Vance County, 61% of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 56% are fully vaccinated.

In Granville County, 66% of those over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 62% are fully vaccinated.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC’s “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos Sunday, “We all know when you have a virus that has already gone to multiple countries, inevitably it will be here. The question is, will we be prepared for it?”

President Biden met in person Sunday with Fauci and members of his White House COVID Response Team. Fauci and members of the COVID Response Team updated the president on the latest developments related to the Omicron variant. Fauci informed the president that while it will take approximately two more weeks to have more definitive information on the transmissibility, severity and other characteristics of the variant, and he continues to believe that existing vaccines are likely to provide a degree of protection against severe cases of COVID. Fauci also reiterated that boosters for fully vaccinated individuals provide the strongest available protection from COVID. The COVID Response Team’s immediate recommendation to all vaccinated adults is to get a booster shot as soon as possible; all adults are eligible for a booster if they were vaccinated six months ago or more with Pfizer or Moderna, or two months ago or more with Johnson & Johnson. Importantly, those adults and children who are not yet fully vaccinated should get vaccinated now.