Friday, July 23 Update

Hi there,

We did it!  Today Oakland County Executive David Coulter announced that we have met our goal of at least 70% of our residents 16 years or older receiving at least their first dose. Watch his announcement here. We are one of only a handful of Michigan counties to reach this benchmark to date. 

While this is terrific news, our vaccination efforts can’t stop there.  We are up against increasing cases of the Delta variant; our kids will start returning to school and sports.  More and more people are heading into in-person workplaces and are out at community events where many unvaccinated people may not be wearing masks.  We will continue to focus on specific demographic groups and local communities where vaccination rates are lower.

This week’s COVID-19 update video features our Medical Director Dr. Russell Faust discussing recent COVID-19 updates.  Note this video was recorded prior to Oakland County reaching 70% today:

Today the state’s COVID-19 vaccine dashboard reports 1,393,803 doses have been given to Oakland County residents.  Visit the Oakland County Vaccine Hub for even more data related to vaccination.

In good health,

Leigh-Anne Stafford Director, Health and Human Services

U.S. COVID-19 cases increase, unvaccinated individuals most at risk

On July 16, during a Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said: “This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated.  We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk.  And communities that are fully vaccinated are generally faring well.”

This pattern of vaccination coverage vs. new case trends is demonstrated visually here.

During this same briefing, it was reported that seven-day averages increased in the U.S. from the previous seven-day period as follows:

• Positive cases increased by nearly 70 percent
• Hospital admissions increased about 36 percent
  • More than 97 percent of people hospitalized are unvaccinated
• Daily deaths increased by 26 percent
  • Preliminary data from several states over the last few months suggests that 99.5 percent of deaths from COVID-19 in U.S. were in unvaccinated people. 

The highly transmissible and more severe Delta variant is currently dominant across the world, including the U.S. The good news is that if you are fully vaccinated, you are most protected against severe COVID, hospitalization, and death, and are even protected against the known variants.

Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants are expected to occur over time. Vaccination can also ensure that viruses do not mutate as efficiently and may reduce the chances of new variants emerging.

Read a transcript of the full briefing here.

Fact check--Do I absolutely need both vaccine dos

If you receive a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you will need 2 shots to get the most protection. The second dose allows the immune system to retain memory of a virus, helping to protect someone for a longer period.

You should get your second shot even if you have side effects after the first shot, unless a vaccination provider or your doctor tells you not to get it.  You should get your second shot as close to the recommended 3-week or 4-week interval as possible. However, your second dose may be given up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose.

Week at a Glance-Health Division upcoming vaccination sites

The following locations will offer first dose COVID-19 vaccinations for individuals 12 years and older (unless otherwise indicated):

• Monday-Friday- 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m
  • Oakland County North Oakland Health Center (Pontiac)
  • Oakland County South Oakland Health Center (Southfield)
• Saturday, July 24
  • Orchard Lake Fine Art Show (West Bloomfield), 10 AM-6 PM
  • Oakland County Farmer’s Market (Waterford), 9 AM-1 PM

• Sunday, July 25
  • Orchard Lake Fine Art Show (West Bloomfield), 10 AM-5 PM

• Wednesday, July 28
  • Best Western Premier Hotel/Metro Detroit Career Expo (Southfield), 9 AM-3 PM

• Friday, July 30
  • New Birth International Church/Church in the Park (Pontiac), 11 AM-4:30 PM

For more details about these locations, walk-in availability, or to make an appointment, click on our Get Vaccinated page.  You can also call 800-848-5533, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for more assistance. COVID-19 vaccinations provided at no cost.

OaklandCountyVaccine.com is the best place to receive the latest information.