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Joyce Esckilsen first learned of the arrival of inoculation in Cavalier County from an employee of the doctor’s office. Later that day, a friend called her to discuss it. Then another friend rang to share the exciting development.
News spreads quickly “when you live in sticks, ”joked Esckilsen.
Within hours, the 85-year-old woman and her husband had signed up to receive the vaccine, and on January 14, they received their first doses at the county public health unit in Langdon. The online registration process, even with some technical difficulties, did not take more than 40 minutes, Esckilsen said.
“It wasn’t a problem at all,” Esckilsen said. “They did a fantastic job.”
Esckilsen and about 750 other people in the rural northeastern county had their first chance, accounting for 20% of the population.
But in North Dakota, the spread of vaccination in Cavalier County is not an aberration. The state leads the country in the effective deployment of vaccines, with nearly 93% of the allocated doses already injected into the arms of residents, according to the health department. Although it has received proportionally fewer doses than a handful of other states, North Dakota ranks third in doses administered per capita, behind only Alaska and West Virginia and several advances ahead of Minnesota and South Dakota. In total, about 11.5% of the population of North Dakota received their first blow, compared to a national rate of about 8.8%.
COVID-19 vaccinations are being prepared for use at Gordmans’ former site in Fargo. David Samson / The Forum
In other parts of the country, dozens of reports have seen doses wasted because providers could not deliver them on time under strict eligibility guidelines, but good planning, deep community ties, and a few benefits. integrated have marked victory for the State of the Garden of Peace.
There is a long way to go on the road to herd immunity to COVID-19, but North Dakota is certainly on the right track, state immunization coordinator Molly Howell said.
No factor can explain the successful rollout of the vaccine in North Dakota, but authorities began to plant the seeds of success long before the drug was approved by the federal government.
Howell and his team brought together pharmacists, medical professionals, nursing home administrators and tribal officials at the end of the summer to work out a plan to distribute the vaccine once it is released. The partnerships forged through these meetings and other pandemic interactions established the lines of communication used in practice, Howell said.
The group aimed to solve problems before they arise by strategizing for what-if scenarios. The brainstorming sessions led the state to plan a central warehouse in Bismarck where huge dose shipments could be split up and shipped to small towns that only required a few doses.
“We have such limited amounts of vaccine that it was crucial to be able to break it down and get it to rural areas,” Howell said. “Otherwise, we should have expected people to travel long distances to get vaccinated.”
The state also purchased several ultra-cold freezers and transport coolers to store the Pfizer vaccine in the warehouse. That foresight translates into an extra day for vaccine delivery, which can make a big difference, Howell said.
Unlike some states that have restricted where the vaccine is given, North Dakota has decided to list any pharmacy, local health unit, hospital, or clinic wishing to administer the vaccine. About 400 vaccine suppliers are now signed with the state.
In small communities, independent pharmacies have played an important role in reaching nursing home residents, which has helped North Dakota complete immunization for this priority group faster than most other states, Howell said. .
The general ideas developed over the planning period blended well with the small details executed locally.
Cavalier County Health District Administrator Steph Welsh said the rural and narrow nature of his area has been a big plus, with the entire county coming together to spread awareness of the vaccine. Local businesses placed flyers in their storefronts with the web link to vaccine registration, pharmacies and grocery stores added paper inserts to bags of food and medicine, and the city newspaper circulated message to readers, Welsh said. The clergy have helped less tech-savvy worshipers register online.
“It’s the beauty of living in a small, rural place – everyone takes care of each other and wants to help,” Welsh said.
A farmer plants wheat in a field adjacent to the ABM facility in Nekoma, ND Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
In urban areas, there have been other keys to the logistical triumphs of vaccine distribution.
Bismarck-Burleigh Director of Public Health Renae Moch said most of the injections given by her agency were given via a drive-thru at the Bismarck Event Center. Health officials developed the drive-and-drive process months ago to take the COVID-19 test, but the same idea lent itself to vaccination, especially with the mobility issues of many older residents who are eligible for the vaccine.
The agency has also recruited state contact tracers to help register residents for appointments over the phone.
Welsh and Moch said the most persistent problem so far was lack of doses. Demand far exceeds the supply they are receiving from the federal government, and the two officials said their agencies could easily scale up operations if more doses became available.
“People want the vaccine. They can’t wait to get it,” Moch said. “We have had such lovely people who have come through our immunization clinics who had tears because they finally got their vaccine, and they haven’t seen their families or gone anywhere for almost a year. “
Warren Larson was one of the thousands to pass through a Bismarck drive-through clinic to get his first shot. The 71-year-old cancer survivor said the vaccine had given him peace of mind, although he noted he would not let go of mask wearing or social distancing anytime soon.
Larson said he always believed in vaccines because he had friends who grew up suffering from polio, which has since been eradicated in the United States. He signed up as fast as he could for the COVID-19 firing and said he was impressed with the ease and efficiency of the process.
Esckilsen is also playing the long game with the virus and has said she won’t stop putting on a mask. But the result of collective immunity is clear to her. Once the pandemic has passed, she has “three new great-grandchildren” to meet in Georgia and Colorado.
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