Burgum, health officials push COVID-19 vaccine when healthcare workers receive their first dose

Frontline healthcare professionals at the state’s largest hospital have begun receiving the first two doses of a vaccine developed by pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and BioNTech. North Dakota has already received 6,825 doses from Pfizer, and the state has ordered 13,200 doses of the pharmaceutical company Moderna vaccine, which could be approved by the federal government later this week.

Arena Gergen, director of nursing at the Miller Point Care Facility in Mandan, became one of more than 800 people in North Dakota who received a recently developed vaccine on Wednesday. At a press conference, Gergen talked about his personal fight against COVID-19 earlier this year and the pain he sees in Millerpoint residents who may not have seen his family for several months. She said she wanted to get a vaccine to reduce some of the pressure on her colleagues in health care and speed up the return of everyone to normal.

Gergen overcame his emotions when the needle stabbed her right arm. She said last year’s forum news service was the most difficult of her 20 years of nursing experience, and the vaccine showed the first real sign of hope that a pandemic could end in the near future. ..

“We’ve done a series of tests, all we have to do is identify who the (infected) staff and residents are,” Goergen said. “We had nothing to move us forward until this moment. We have been stagnant at this location on COVID-19 for 10 months, and (vaccine) we are actually moving The first thing I felt where I was in the right direction. “

Alena Goergen (right) will receive the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Bismarck on Wednesday, November 16th. Goergen, director of nursing at Miller Pointe’s long-term care facility in Mandan, was suffering from the virus. Pandemic.Jeremy Taree / Forum News Service

Being vaccinated in front of the governor, health authorities and the press is an opportunity for Gergen to remember immediately. She said a chest sticker stating “I got the COVID-19 vaccine” was laminated and cherished as a souvenir.

Burgum urged eligible residents to look for the first injection as soon as it becomes available. In the first wave of vaccination, healthcare professionals and nursing home residents are prioritized.

“You are servicing yourself, your family, your team, your community, your health organization, and everyone you work with,” says Bergham. Said.

Molly Howell, the state’s vaccination manager, estimated that North Dakota would be vaccinated about 40,000 doses by the end of the year. The state aims to vaccinate all nursing home residents from December 27th.

Howell said the vaccine is likely to be unavailable to the general public until spring. Citing new safety guidelines, Howell said pregnant women and women aged 16-18 are now encouraged to be vaccinated, but younger children have to wait a little longer. It may be. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been found to be 95% effective and can cause minor short-term side effects such as muscle aches, but Howell says the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the drawbacks. He said it was better.

In addition to the vaccine, Mr. Bergham said the state has new weapons to combat the virus, including rapid testing and treatment of COVID-19 patients. He urged residents to seek prompt examination from their health care providers, especially if they plan to meet someone outside their family during the Christmas holidays. Burgum said the virus-infected North Dakota needs to call a healthcare provider to see if they are eligible to take drugs such as antibody treatment or remdesivir to reduce the severity of the disease. I said there is.

If North Dakota stays “smart” and socially distant from masking this holiday season, some of the restrictions on business could be lifted, Mr. Bergham said.

Earlier that day, the North Dakota Department of Health announced 24 COVID-19 deaths, but active cases and virus-related hospitalizations declined overall.

The dead came from the entire state, including five from Burleigh County, three from Cass County, and three from Ward County. The youngest victims reported Wednesday in their 40s and the oldest over 100 years old.

According to the ministry, 1,194 people in North Dakota have died from the disease since March. November was the worst pandemic month in the state of North Dakota, but December has similarly seen high virus-related mortality rates.

At least 709 of the state’s deaths occur in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Although the number of residents and staff in infected nursing homes has dropped dramatically since last month, it is known that 149 residents and 183 staff are still infected with the virus. The state wants all caregivers to be vaccinated by the end of the month.

The number of active COVID-19 cases has steadily decreased from more than 10,000 in mid-November. Currently, 2,956 people in North Dakota are known to be infected with the virus, with a decline of 274 since Tuesday, December 15.

The agency reported that 160 people in North Dakota were hospitalized for the virus, recording a significant decrease of 117 from the previous day. Kirby Kluger, director of the North Dakota Department of Disease Control, said the significant decline was due to delays in hospitalization reports and counts.

Virus-related mortality is considered to be the most delayed indicator of outbreaks, according to Bergham, and reduced active cases and hospitalizations are a good sign that mortality may soon subside. ..

On Wednesday, the health department reported 304 new cases, including:

• 72 people from Cass County, including Fargo.
• 34 from Burleigh County, including Bismarck.
• 23 from Grand Forks County.

Approximately 5.4% of the approximately 4,508 residents tested as part of the latest batch received positive results, and an average of approximately 7.3% of those tested in the last two weeks received positive results. .. As in the active case, state positive rates have declined in the last few months.

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