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However, local public health experts have expressed satisfaction with the progress made in this region.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control COVID Data Tracker on Monday, Jan.4, more than 15.4 million doses had been distributed nationwide.
Only 4.5 million of them had been administered, far below the federal government’s goal of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of 2020.
Some have blamed a shortage of staff able to deliver the vaccines, but that doesn’t appear to be an issue in Fargo-Moorhead or their respective Cass or Clay counties.
Suzanne Schaefer, director of nursing at Fargo Cass Public Health, said they didn’t have to postpone a vaccine week to week.
“When we received it, we administered it. We don’t have any in our fridge, ”Schaefer said.
As of Monday, the FCPH had vaccinated 728 people, including emergency medical service personnel, firefighters, law enforcement and residents of group homes.
“We know that it is better for us to take up arms right away if we are to put this protection in place,” she said.
At the state level, North Dakota has also been able to release the vaccine at a steady rate.
As of Monday, 64% of the vaccine doses received had been administered, according to Molly Howell, director of the immunization program at the State Department of Health.
Of the 35,250 doses distributed, some 22,685 had been placed in the arms of high priority people for the vaccine in North Dakota.
The percentage of doses administered from South Dakota has been similar, while Minnesota has been a bit slower to release the vaccine, so far.
The Minnesota Department of Health announced Monday that 297,350 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been assigned and distributed to providers.
Of these, 78,402 doses or about 26% had been administered; however, the ministry said on its website that it could take up to 48 hours for the data to be fully processed and included.
Howell said there may be other states that have more doses tied up in long-term care facilities, many of which are partnering with the Federal Pharmacy Partnership program to administer the vaccine.
North Dakota doesn’t have as many pharmacies involved, including Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy, she said.
Liz Bjur, a Clay County public health nurse, confirmed that most long-term care facilities in Minnesota have adhered to this federal program.
Eventide on Eighth in Moorhead received its vaccine allowance early, at the end of December, as it had the capacity to immunize its own residents and staff.
Other skilled nursing facilities in Clay County, including Moorhead Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Moorhead, Viking Manor in Ulen and Valley Care and Rehab in Barnesville, receive doses of the vaccine this week as part of the Federal Pharmaceutical Partnership .
“Anytime you’re going to roll out a brand new vaccine to a lot of people, it’s going to take a while for things to fall into place,” Bjur said.
As part of the partnership, the pharmacy is responsible for receiving, storing and administering the vaccine, as well as sending the data to the state immunization registry, she said.
Vaccinations also begin this week at a centralized location in Clay County for approximately 250 emergency medical personnel who are not connected to a health care system in Clay and neighboring counties of Becker, Otter Tail and Wilkin. .
About 40 staff working at the COVID saliva testing site in Moorhead and about 40 community COVID vaccinators, including public health nurses, will also receive the vaccines in Clay County, Bjur said.
At FCPH, Schaefer expects to receive an additional 500 doses this week, which will be used for the rest of the priority groups that they were unable to conclude last week.
Howell said this phase of North Dakota’s vaccination program involving frontline healthcare workers and nursing homes is actually the simplest.
Prioritizing other groups later based on occupational risk, age, and underlying health conditions will be much more difficult.
“I think in other phases it will get more complicated,” Howell said.
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