Leaders reveal tentative plan for first responders
Initial shipment of doses to come later this week
Over the next few weeks, Oakland County public health nurses are planning to administer upwards of 1,800 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to first responders.
The county has not received its initial allocation. Tuesday morning, Pfizer representatives informed the county to expect its initial shipment of 1,850 doses either late this week or early next week. The vaccine is being manufactured in and shipped across the country to hospitals and local health departments from Pfizer’s manufacturing plant in Portage, Mich.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the Pfizer vaccine emergency use authorization (EUA) last Friday with Michigan hospitals including Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor and Beaumont Health in Southfield administering the state’s first doses on Monday and Tuesday to groups of frontline health workers. State public health officials, which announced the vaccine priority groups Friday, will receive around 84,000 initial doses of the Pfizer vaccine and around 173,000 initial doses of the Moderna vaccine, expected to be grated EUA later this week.
On Tuesday, MediaNews Group obtained Oakland County’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. As the vaccine becomes more widely available, the county has the capability to utilize upwards of 8 drive-thru testing sites to administer the vaccine, but the number of sites be
ing used is, and the hours of those sites, will vary and be entirely dependent on prioritization, per CDC guidelines, vaccine supply and demand at any given time. Initially, the county is planning to utilize several of the drive-thru sites over the first two weeks to administer the first doses.
Leigh- Anne Stafford, county health officer, said the county is having to be “flexible” with its distribution plan. She not aware, at this point, of how much vaccine the county will receive per week. State health officials have indicated that Michigan expects to receive weekly shipments of vaccine.
Stafford said the county is prepared to begin administering the vaccine at its drive-thru sites within 24 hours of its arrival.
“At this time, all of the vaccine will be stored at one of our Pontiac sites,” she said. “And then it will be distributed using vaccine runners to the sites when we need it. We’re doing pre-registration at all of out sites, so we’ll have a better understanding of how much we will be providing at each site. If we run short, we have peo
ple that are prepared to run vaccine from Pontiac to the other sites.”
Initially, the county will be administering vaccine to its public health nurses, around 30 nurses to start, who will then administer to first responders who live or work in Oakland County at several testing sites. A survey has been sent out to the county’s EMS providers to determine the overall need, which will help with initial drive-thru site planning. Early estimates show around 1,500 to 2,000 emergency response personnel would be eligible to receive the initial doses from the county.
Thom Hardesty, the county’s director of homeland security and emergency management, said the county does not have any real concerns about the supply chain, adding the county has the funding, supplies, and other resources necessary to effectively and efficiently operate its vaccination program.
Right now, the county has drive-thru testing sites setup in Holly, Rochester, Lyon Township, Pontiac, and Southfield with plans to add Novi, Waterford and Orion Township, all of which are mostly fire departments. The county will distribute the initial doses to as many drive-thru sites as possible to
allow for greater access for those eligible first responders, who will be required to call the county’s Nurse OnCall or register online to make a vaccination appointment, which cannot be made for the same-day.
“All of these sites are doing this for free,” said Hardesty. “The fire departments and communities have opened up their buildings. They’ve been helpful throughout the pandemic. They’ve allowed us to store equipment while putting their equipment outside in certain cases. They’ve all been great partners for us during the pandemic.”
County officials say the sites will not perform testing and vaccinations together on the same day. For example, if testing is being performed at the Rochester Fire Department on a particular day, then vaccinations will take place at another drive-thru site. The county will continue to keep open one site for testing per day during weekdays.
How exactly will registration work?
Registration confirmation will be sent to the individual with the following reminders:
• Come to the location at your assigned appointment time. Only the individual(s) with a scheduled appoint
ment will be vaccinated.
• Client will receive a link to Oakland County Health Department website with vaccine information within appointment confirmation email.
• Bring a photo ID (if available) and have available when you arrive at the testing site.
• Please do not bring pets in the vehicle. The test will not be completed if pets are in the vehicle.
• The person receiving the vaccination will remain in the vehicle the entire time. The vehicle will be directed by staff throughout the process.
• If you develop a fever within 24 hours of your appointment, please call to reschedule. Vaccines can not be given with a fever.
• After someone receives the vaccine, they are required to wait 15 to 30 minutes on site. If no adverse reactions occur, those vaccinated may leave the testing site. A fact sheet will be given to each person containing information on how to report adverse reactions.
At the end of each day, medical information will be transferred to Oakland County’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and uploaded to the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) as required.