First Lot of COVID Vaccines Assigned to Higher Priority Group |

Traverse City — Munson Healthcare expects the first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to arrive by Thursday and be in the hands of the first healthcare professional on Friday.

Vaccine deployment begins with a wave of prioritization of healthcare professionals and caregivers called Tier 1A, with Tier 1B being essential workers and Tier 1C being high-risk adults and adults over the age of 65. ..

In Tier 1A, healthcare professionals who work directly with or support the care of COVID-19 patients in high-risk environments (emergency room, emergency room, COVID unit, intensive care unit) are first vaccinated. To receive

Christine Nefsey, Chief Medical Officer at Manson Healthcare, said the general public was not expected to be vaccinated until early spring, when the vaccine became more widely available.

“In general, we know that the amount of the vaccine is limited,” Nefsey said in a press conference. “We are not very clear about how much or when we will receive. We work closely with the health department to distribute and administer these vaccines as quickly as possible.”

Lisa Peacock, a health officer at the Benji Leelanau District Health Department and the Northwestern Michigan Department of Health, said there was no exact answer as to when the vaccine would be generally available. It can take up to 20 weeks to pass the priority group on the vaccine timeline.

But there are many people in these priority groups, Peacock said.

“We strive to ensure that the vaccine is distributed fairly,” Peacock said.

Heidi Briton is Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Michigan Health Services, which has provided many of the COVID-19 tests during a pandemic. She said she didn’t say anything about the cost of the vaccine, but expects it to be inexpensive because the tests are free.

The Pfizer vaccine is given twice every 21 days and becomes effective 7 days after the second dose. “Until far more people are vaccinated against the disease,” Nefsey said, people need to wear masks and follow other guidelines.

Dianne Michaelek, Vice President of Communications at Munson, recently reported that the rate of increase in cases has declined, but is still rising. As of Monday, more than 16,000 cases and 304 deaths were reported for the healthcare system, and there is still an 11 percent positive rate among community members, she said.

On Tuesday, there were 76 positive patients throughout the healthcare system.

According to Nefsey, Manson will be vaccinated 2,925 times this week for priority staff, with the second vaccination expected within three weeks.

Wendy Hilsenberger, a health officer in Grand Traverse County, said the county’s 31st COVID death was on Tuesday morning. She said the Grand Traverse County Health Department plans to deploy vaccination for several months, which has been approved by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Michigan Department of Health and Welfare.

According to Hilsenberger, health departments in all regions work with hospitals and pharmacies, including EMS personnel and other first responders, health department employees, and non-hospital-based healthcare professionals. It’s at the top of the list.

District Health Department # 10 will receive the Moderna vaccine, which will be approved for emergency use on Friday. The shipment will arrive next week and the first dose will begin the week of December 28, according to a spokeswoman for the agency, Janine Taylor. It is unclear how many doses will arrive, she said.

District # 10 received the Moderna vaccine because at the time the decision was made, all health departments under its wings did not have a refrigerator that could keep the vaccine at the required temperature of -70 degrees Celsius. I ordered. All of these are equipped with the right equipment, Taylor said.

Nicholas Tony, an infectious disease pharmacist at Manson, said the vaccine was developed so quickly that people may be worried about the safety of the vaccine.

“The safety of this is a clear concern not only for the general public, but also for the healthcare industry,” said Tony.

One of the shortcomings from the laboratory to widespread use, he said, was the $ 10 billion federal funding spent on vaccines for Operation Warp Speed.

“That’s the main reason why time has been reduced from years to 10 months,” he said.

Both the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine are messenger RNA vaccines. That is, it programs cells to produce pieces of the virus, stimulating the immune system to react to it, and repel it. The manufacturer began producing the vaccine in March, Tony said.

“MRNA is incredibly easy to make. This technology is already available.”

Vaccines do not alter a person’s DNA and do not test positive for COVID-19. There is no evidence that it causes infertility, he said.

Studies have shown that people infected with COVID-19 have very different immune responses, according to Nefsey. She said the immunity from the vaccine was much stronger.

“Even if you have COVID-19, we recommend vaccination,” Nefsey said.

She said exposed people should be vaccinated after quarantine.

People who test positive for COVID-19, convalescent plasma, plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19, or who have been given monoclonal antibodies should delay the vaccine for 90 days. A fairly new treatment.

The vaccine is 95% effective. A person may still be infected with COVID-19, but that wouldn’t be too serious, Tony said.

Phase 3 vaccination trials did not include pregnant or lactating women, but that does not mean they are not safe and you need to talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of vaccination. there is.

According to the CDC, pregnant women are at increased risk of serious illness from COVID-19 and may be at risk of adverse consequences such as preterm birth.

Nefcy said there are currently no plans to require employees to vaccinate because Munson is not yet highly available.