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February 12, 2021
The Ottawa County Department of Public Health (OCDPH) sent this weekly vaccine update to those who signed up for vaccine notifications or COVID-19 updates. If you already received your vaccine and do not want to be on the notification list, please unsubscribe here. If you no longer want to receive COVID-19 updates, please unsubscribe at the bottom of this email.
Information While Waiting for the Vaccine
This week's vaccine video update on Facebook and YouTube.
Includes an interview with special guests from Community Health Services. They shared how their roles shifted throughout the pandemic to assist with COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing, along with continuing their community health services. The interview starts here.
Every Wednesday at noon we will provide the latest Ottawa County vaccine and response updates at Facebook.com/miOttawaHealth and YouTube.com/miOttawa.
Hear more Ottawa County vaccine updates from the OCDPH Health Officer Lisa Stefanovsky and Senior Epidemiologist Derel Glashower during their February 9, 2021, Ottawa County Board of Commissioners presentation.
WATCH
How do I get a vaccine appointment with the health department?
If you have not already signed up, please fill out the Vaccine Notification form at miOttawa.org/covid19. If and when you are eligible for the vaccine and when appointments become available through the OCDPH, we will send you a separate notification email and/or text message that contains an appointment link. All COVID-19 vaccines are given by appointment ONLY. No walk-ins are allowed. We appreciate your patience as we diligently work to get the vaccine out as quickly as possible to as many people as possible. For other locations offering the vaccine, please visit www.VaccinateWestMi.com/register.
What happens with any extra vaccine doses left at the end of the day?
When additional doses become available because of any canceled appointments or no-shows, we have a process for contacting people per the state's guidelines to ensure the doses are administered to people who are currently eligible to receive the vaccine. No vaccines go to waste, and we ensure all doses have been administered.
How does Ottawa County receive its vaccines?
Ottawa County receives vaccines from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Depending on how many vaccines MDHHS receives from the federal government, they base the proportion allocated to Ottawa County on the size of the county's population within the current target groups. Right now, that includes people 65 years of age and older and some essential workers. However, the state has a new calculation for allocating vaccines to counties which includes using the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). This tool uses census data to identify and map places where a community may have more difficulty preventing human suffering and financial loss in a disaster.
The SVI assesses the extent that 15 known vulnerabilities (indicators) are present within a community and categorizes them into four themes: socioeconomic status, household composition and disability, minority status and language minority and housing type and transportation.
Indicators like poverty and transportation can highlight places where people may
have difficulty accessing COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccination. While
supplies are low, outreach efforts are concentrated in areas with higher social
vulnerabilities, where people may face more difficulty accessing vaccine.
Click to enlarge the graphic and learn more.
Ottawa County is a relatively large county - the 7th largest in Michigan based on population but we are one of the least socially vulnerable in the state. Only three other counties are less so. Therefore, Ottawa County is receiving a smaller number of vaccine doses than we would if based on population alone, while areas with higher social vulnerability receive more vaccine.
Not all populations are equally at-risk for acquiring COVID-19 or suffering adverse outcomes from it. Using the SVI tool is a more equitable way to allocate a limited resource since it prioritizes those who are most likely to become a COVID-19 case or to have more severe outcomes from infection, such as hospitalization and death.
How does OCDPH determine who gets the vaccine?
The OCDPH follows the prioritization guidelines issued by the MDHHS that were developed based on the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations. The OCDPH focuses on vaccinating those who are at the highest risk for severe COVID-19 complications and death. As seen in the demographic breakdown below of Ottawa County cases, people 65 years of age and older have been most affected. The OCDPH also uses the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index to develop targeted outreach strategies while planning vaccine clinics to ensure the protection of people who are the most vulnerable. The OCDPH's work with community partners has been instrumental to ensure equitable access to the vaccine, especially for minority populations and people who have no or limit technology access to schedule an appointment.
When vaccine appointments become available, the OCDPH now selects names in the order they were received from the vaccine notification list of those currently eligible. Sign up is found at www.miOttawa.org/covid19. Recipients receive a unique appointment link to select a date and time to schedule an appointment. If the appointment was successfully scheduled, a confirmation will appear at the end of scheduling and also be sent to your email if one was provided.
If you receive a scheduling link, please do NOT share it. It is only for the person receiving it and could cause appointments to be taken by people who are not currently eligible. The notification doesn’t guarantee an appointment, and appointments could fill quickly. Anyone who is notified but is unsuccessful at scheduling an appointment time will be placed back in line to be drawn again in the coming weeks.
This is the first week the OCDPH has been able to set aside 25% of its allocation for vaccinating PreK through 12th-grade education staff and childcare workers. The other 75% is still being designated to people aged 65 and older.
People aged 65+ account for the majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths
Click image to enlarge.
Ottawa County COVID-19 Data Hub
Print & Share Other CDC COVID-19 FAQs
COVID-19 Vaccinations in Ottawa County
 31,625 first and second COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed to Ottawa County health care systems and the health department as of 2/9/21 from MDHHS.
44,611 first and second doses have been administered as of 2/10/21.
The number of doses administered is higher than the number of doses received because vaccinators have been able to consistently get at least six doses from the five dose vials. Additionally, doses reported are based on where the person lives. If an Ottawa County resident receives their vaccine from a location outside of the county, it is still counted as Ottawa County.
More Vaccine Data from MDHHS here.
Carol shares her experience and why she got vaccinated
Click the image to watch. Turn up your volume.
Please check out other partner organizations also offering the COVID-19 vaccine at www.VaccinateWestMi.com/register. For locations statewide, please call the Michigan COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136 or visit Michigan.gov/COVIDvaccine.
COVID-19 Vaccinations in Michigan
Michigan received 2,044,625 doses with 1,517,959 of those administered statewide.
More Vaccine Data from MDHHS here.
MDHHS Resources
Vaccine Information I Strategy I Distribution Guidance I MI Vaccine Locations
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Click to enlarge the MDHHS vaccine distribution timeline.
COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States
Click to view more data.
COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to help stop the pandemic
- Wearing masks and physical distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.
- The combination of getting vaccinated and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.
- Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available. As experts learn more about how COVID-19 vaccination may help reduce spread of the disease in communities, CDC will continue to update the recommendations to protect communities using the latest science.
LEARN MORE
Click the image to learn more.
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