Osage County Health Department (OCHD) Administrator Kim Sallin this week said that two mass vaccinations have been successfully administered, and the focus will continue to be on protecting residents against COVID-19.
“We plan to hold vaccinations on Mondays when the vaccine is available,” said Sallin, whose staff gave 140 doses on Monday of this week, and 228 the previous Monday. “It takes a lot of work to put these together and we as a health department have other responsibilities.”
Typically, Sallin receives notice on Thursday or Friday about vaccine availability, and because the entire staff is required to administer those doses, Monday is the only day that works.
Those who received the Moderna vaccine on Feb. 1 will be due for the second dose on March 1, while individuals vaccinated on Feb. 8 received Pfizer, which has a three-week cycle before the next dose is due.
“That means come March 1, we’ll need to be ready to provide second doses for both groups,” said Sallin. “We will continue to provide first doses when extra vaccine is available, but our focus will have to be on making sure people get the second dose.”
People must remember that to get the vaccine, you must contact the OCHD to schedule an appointment, and only those who qualify will get a dose.
“We need people to understand we’re following strict guidelines for who can get the vaccine and when,” said Sallin. “We have to adhere to the tier system, and I know that’s tough for some people, but we can’t cut corners or we’ll potentially lose our ability to provide the vaccine.”
At the vaccine clinics you will likely see Sallin and her staff members, Elisha Rogers, Katelyn Peters, Katy Gallagher, Krista Welschmeyer, Chelsea Smith, and volunteer Lois Jaegers.
“We are happy to provide this service but it’s a labor-intensive process and I really appreciate the hard work of all my employees,” said Sallin.
A call Tuesday involving health department administrators noted that only 600 doses of vaccine will be provided by the state to Region F, which includes Osage County. This is an extremely limited amount of vaccine considering the larger counties located in Region F. However, she said vaccines can be obtained from area hospitals and she doesn’t consider this situation dire.
“There’s no reason to panic,” she said. “Capital Region Medical Center, SSM St. Mary's, and JCMG are willing to redistribute vaccine when they have the ability.”
She added it’s important to remember that even after you’ve received the injections, it’s still possible to contract the virus and spread it. “That means you still need to wear a mask and maintain proper social distance,” said Sallin.
It appears that a COVID variant is present, based on Sallin’s observations. “I can’t prove it but it seems to be more contagious,” she said.
One recent case involved a person who tested positive reporting they had been at a gathering. Four contracts tested positive and several members of the initial individual’s household also tested positive.
“That’s six positive test results from one gathering,” said Sallin. “That makes me think there is a variant of COVID that’s more contagious but I don’t have the statistics to back it up.”
Sallin learned that 10 samples from the entire state are sent to the CDC every other week to be tested for a variant.
“With that small sampling, it’s not likely we’ll be able to prove there is a variant at work,” said Sallin.
Active cases are lower, with just 19 at this time. All told, the county has seen 1,586 positive cases, with one more fatality reported this week, the 12th death attributed to the coronavirus.
“We’re not seeing as many active cases, and I think that’s due in part to the vaccine, but I also think fewer people are getting tested,” said Sallin. “I’ve talked to people who said their doctors aren’t recommending a COVID test when they have symptoms of a sinus infection, which seems to be the most common symptom we’re seeing now.”
Sallin urges everyone to be cautious, wear a mask, social-distance, and wash hands frequently to help contain the spread.
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