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Kristen jordan shamus
| Detroit Free Press
COVID Vaccine: Can You Still Be Contagious?
Vaccinologist Dr Greg Poland discusses what it is like after your first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Staff Video, USA TODAY
Oakland County has said it needs more COVID-19 vaccine to meet demand, and Executive Dave Coulter urges the state to increase the county’s allocation and increase the number of providers who administer it.
Also in the early stages of vaccine deployment, Oakland County has received more vaccines than any other county in the state, but supply remains limited. The health division vaccinates those with the highest priority, such as emergency medical personnel, healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
The health division is eager to vaccinate the next priority group – police officers, prison and prison workers, K-12 teachers, caregivers and people 65 and older – but Coulter asks “their patience because the number of appointments available is limited to the number of doses we have received from the state. “
More: Fact Check: How Michigan Ranks in Administering First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines
Coulter said the county’s Nurse on Call line was “inundated with questions about the availability of appointments.”
On Wednesday, the county’s health division said it had received 5,850 doses of the vaccine and administered 1,868 doses, according to its website. The county receives the Pfizer vaccine, which requires ultra-cold freezers.
Oakland County hospitals are the other places receiving vaccines.
Overall, the county received 69,050 doses of the vaccine on Tuesday. This is more than triple the allocation for neighboring Wayne County (not including Detroit) of 20,175 doses and more than double the 26,725 doses for Macomb County.
More: Michigan Steps Up COVID-19 Vaccinations, Offers Doses to Teachers, Police, and More Seniors
Each week, local health departments and hospitals place orders for the following week, said Bob Wheaton, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, on Wednesday. He said the ministry reviews their current inventory and unmet need based on their population estimate 1A, or top priority, before allocating additional doses.
“We have assigned vaccines to entities based on what they request and what they think they can deliver, and if we find that an entity may not have the capacity to deliver vaccines,” we will provide support so that the county or city always has appropriate access, “he said.
Wheaton added: “We have already enrolled more than 800 providers (more than half of these last week) in the immunization program and we will seek to engage as many partners as quickly as possible with our current limited allocation to rapidly immunize them. Michiganders, focusing on those who are most vulnerable. “
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on Wednesday the state would start vaccinating more in the fight against the global pandemic, starting next week. She said local health departments offer appointments through their websites and encourage people to sign up quickly.
Coulter encouraged people to visit the county’s vaccine website for the latest information on the county’s vaccine supply and appointments.
This morning, the county’s website said there are no appointments for available vaccines and that appointments will be added based on the vaccine supply received from the state.
A person can sign up for updates on appointment information for the COVID-19 vaccine by registering an email address or texting OAKGOV at 28748, according to the county website.
Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.
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