Health department aims to reach vulnerable people for vaccination | Attention-pnr

Peacock said last week that all clinics in the health sector were full, while his qualifications were expanded on March 8 to include all individuals over the age of 50.

“Initially, there was a big list and a lot of demand,” said Dr. Joshua Myerson, medical director of the Department of Health in northwestern Michigan. “I think it’s still there, but when you start growing groups, that information can be delayed and people aren’t sure.

“Our goal is to spend time finding people who have a hard time getting to our clinic and don’t have to struggle to fill it.”

According to Peacock, the Department of Health is constantly rethinking strategies seeking the most effective way to reach those in need of vaccines, for everyone over the age of 60 in their jurisdiction. We are pursuing additional strategies such as aiming for mailing (Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Ozego counties), and working with various advanced services in the region.

“We ensure that people in frequent contact with older people are armed with the information they can share to help them make appointments,” Peacock said.

Another recent strategy recently used by the Ministry of Health is to redistribute vaccine assignments to providers who have been approved for dose administration but have not yet had the opportunity to make their own vaccine assignments.

“We are looking at vaccination rates by county to identify the sites where we want to redistribute the vaccine to create additional access points,” Peacock said. “Places where (immunization) rates can be low in some counties due to transportation problems and other barriers,” Peacock said. “We will continue to evaluate, pivot, re-evaluate and make changes as needed.”

Formerly large clinic health departments have partnered with Michigan National Guard and have recently used them in teams to vaccinate vulnerable adult populations in collective environments who are unable to attend local clinics. did.

“We did it several times, and it’s a great use of available resources,” Peacock said of the Michigan National Guard. “We coordinate, set up, and even make door-to-door visits. They (Michigan National Guard) have given thousands of vaccines throughout the state, which brings a lot of experience.”

This week, the Department of Health will work with the Michigan National Guard to provide some pop-up clinics and door-to-door vaccinations to the most vulnerable communities in the jurisdiction, Peacock said.

The health sector is also partnering with local pharmacies to increase local access points for vaccinations and coordinate with emergency medical services and other advanced services to plan home vaccinations.

“These are all signs of great progress,” Peacock said. “In addition, new guidance from the CDC for fully vaccinated people brings hope to our community.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new guidelines for fully vaccinated people, but the health sector should change the behavior of all of us when we go out to the general public. Said not.

“The guidelines for fully vaccinated people are really encouraging,” Myerson said. “Some of us mean that after almost a year of quarantine, we can spend time indoors with relatives and friends. More people by continuing to vaccinate as many people as possible each week. Can get together safely again. “

People are considered fully vaccinated under the following conditions:

• Two weeks after the second dose of a double dose series such as Pfizer or Modelan vaccines, or

• Two weeks after a single dose vaccine such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

According to the CDC, fully vaccinated people can now do the following:

• Visit indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask or physically leaving

• Visit unvaccinated single-family people indoors at low risk of severe COVID-19 infection without wearing masks or physically leaving

• If asymptomatic, refrain from known post-exposure quarantine and testing.

Peacock said the guidance was encouraging and could serve as a great motivation for vaccination.

“But we need to stay vigilant until the majority of people in the community are vaccinated,” Peacock said. “Everyone needs to wear a mask and stay away in a variety of situations, including public places, large gatherings, and workplaces.”