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Date: 2/10/2021
NORTHAMPTON – On Feb. 1, a panel of health experts shared important facts and statistics regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, organized by the city of Northampton.
David Narkewicz, Northampton’s mayor, announced the panelists, including Public Health Director Meredith O’Leary. Other speakers included two members of the Northampton Health Department, also public health nurses, Kate Kelly and Vivian Franklin – both deeply involved more recently in the vaccination process.
Loren Davine, Hampshire County emergency preparedness director, contributed to the conversation as she has been involved in vaccination clinics, along with emergency sheltering and preparedness.
Finally, Narkewicz introduced Dr. Joanne Levin, Cooley Dickinson Hospital medical director of infection control. Levin is a Northampton resident and chair of their Board of Health.
To begin, Levin shared a presentation on what we currently know about the vaccine. She explained that the two vaccines available right now are Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Neither of these contain eggs, nor have a latex top. Both are approved under the FDA, Dr. Fauci, and are reviewed by scientists at the CDC.
When receiving the vaccine, it’s given intramuscularly in the deltoid muscle. People can not get COVID-19 from this vaccine because it’s not considered “alive,” explained Levin.
The wait time between the first dose to the second is about two weeks. It’s suggested that the vaccine is not taken within two weeks of any other vaccines – for instance, the flu shot.
According to Levin, the vaccines are very similar, however the way in which they were studied and their doses are slightly different.
She claimed, “Many people have reactions, particularly on the first dose – it’s very, very common. It’s mainly been pain in the arm, where the injection was given. About half of people have something we call a systemic reaction – including headache, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, chills – a little bit higher after the second dose.”
Generally, all side effects are mild.
Levin went on to say, “I think some people are afraid to get it because they don’t want side effects. But, the side effects are an indication that your immune system is working.”
People who have had COVID-19 should still receive the vaccine, stated Levin. Upon vaccination, it’s crucial to make sure you’re not infectious nor have an acute illness. If someone has been infected within the past 90 days, Levin and other health experts believe these individuals are somewhat protected from getting COVID-19 for the time being.
O’Leary explained the eligibility in which people can receive the vaccines. She said that back in October 2020, the state’s Department of Public Health created a vaccine advisory committee to advance efforts in rolling out and preparing to distribute the vaccine, in a safe and effective way.
“This is a three phase approach. They identified and prioritized critical populations on who should receive the vaccine first,” stated O’Leary.
Phase 1 included critical care and non-critical care healthcare workers. Others who fall under this category include people residing in long-term healthcare facilities, first responders, dispatch, home-based healthcare workers, physical and occupational therapists, dentists, etc.
On Jan. 21, this phase was flattened, allowing anyone who fell under this phase and hadn’t yet received the vaccine to gain access to it.
Currently, O’Leary said in Phase 1, they are only about 65 percent through vaccinating those eligible. “There’s still a lot of people under phase one that need to be vaccinated,” she claimed.
Phase 2 began Feb. 1, and is only currently available to those who are 75 years of age and older. O’Leary informed that this is the first step under Phase 2, followed by the second step, which opens vaccine availability to all people 65 and older, individuals who have two or more medical conditions, and residential and staff of low income and affordable senior housing.
The third step includes early education and K-12 educators, grocery store, restaurant and transportation employees, and funeral directors.
The fourth step under Phase 2 is for individuals with one medical condition or “comorbidity.” O’Leary said, “This means someone who has a disease or condition present in the same person – two or more.”
The CDC released a list of the conditions that are considered comorbidities: cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, down syndrome, heart condition, immunocompromised, obesity, pregnant, sickle cell disease, smoking, and type two diabetes.
The CDC also claimed if you have one of these comorbidities, then you are more at risk to get severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19.
The final phase, Phase 3, will be open for the general population – all those who were not eligible in the first two phases.
Franklin stated, “Currently, we cannot mix and match vaccines. While both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine have been determined to be safe and effective on their own, it has yet to be evaluated at this point if they are safe and effective to mix together.”
Therefore, whichever vaccine you receive for the first dose, must be carried out for the second dose as well. Some safeguards are in place to make sure that this happens, particularly the cards that you receive after your first dosage. This card is to be brought back for the second dose and includes the manufacturer of the vaccine you’ve received.
A state immunization tracking database (MIAS), also tracks which vaccine a person has received, along with their clinic booking software, showing which vaccine was administered during the first dose.
Kelly shared, “At this point, we know the immunity lasts as long as the studies have been done – which is just last year. I think it remains to be seen how long the immunity will last.”
The true nature of viruses is that they change over time. Kelly said, “They’re smart in some ways. The reason we get a flu shot every year is because the vaccines have something known as shift and drift. Those are different genetic changes that happen as a virus tries to get further in a population.”
The COVID-19 virus is an RNA virus that is constantly changing. Kelly informed the attendees that there have been variants present, however scientists everywhere are studying them constantly.
“We don’t know how these viruses will respond to vaccines, however there’s good evidence that they will,” claimed Kelly.
In regard to receiving the vaccine in Hampshire County, O’Leary said, “To date, 28 million vaccinations have been administered in the U.S. In Massachusetts alone, there have been about 500,000 given, and about 728,000 vaccines received.”
She went on to say, “There was a slow roll-out, but rest assured it’s ramping up and we have more vaccines coming our way.”
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said their weekly allotment is distributed to hospitals, vaccination sites, health departments, etc.
On the Massachusetts government website, there is a breakdown of this information by demographics. Different colored circles on their site indicate where to receive vaccines, vaccination sites, healthcare facilities and more.
In Hampshire County, Amherst and Northampton Health Departments have set up a regional vaccination site, along with their recent vaccinations of first responders.
“The week of Jan. 11, we both committed to being able to vaccinate all first responders within Hampshire County,” said O’Leary.
Both of these health departments vaccinated about 700 first responders within a week. They have since committed to vaccinating through the end of phase three and are planning to vaccinate between 2,500 to 3,000 people a week.
Other sites in the area include UMass, along with the Big Y in Northampton and South Hadley, coming soon.
Cooley Dickinson Medical Group and Valley Medical Group will also be vaccinating, and physicians will be reaching out to their patients.
While there are many people who wish to be vaccinated, it’s crucial for the state to follow their designated plan.
“We’re doing the best we can to stick to that plan. If we had the vaccine, we would be working around the clock to get the vaccine into people’s arms,” stated O’Leary.
She added, “We’re prepared to do more vaccines, but in the meantime, we’re really asking people to be patient.”
Davine provided a quick snapshot for people on what it’s like to receive the vaccine at the Northampton Senior Center. She explained that everyone who shows up will have been pre-registered. People are allowed to enter five minutes before their appointment, and they take appointments every 20 minutes. This is done to prevent gathering.
“We want to make good use of your time. When you come in, we’re prepared for you, said Davine.
She added, “We will provide you a mask, on top of the one you already have. We will also ask for verification of eligibility.”
Davine emphasized that everything is socially distanced. A group of five people are allowed in the vaccination room at one time. This is done to minimize exposure, as many are concerned to be in public.
Additional support at the clinic comes from paramedics at Northampton and Easthampton fire departments, along with public health nurses and health care workers.
After the vaccination, a person is required to have a 15 minute waiting period for observation. Depending on medical history, this wait time may be a little longer.
“Here in Massachusetts, we established a group called medical reserve corp, with about 900 volunteers – some with and without medical expertise,” informed Davine. They have been used for years, for public health emergencies, along with vaccinations for meningitis and flu, H1N1, and others.
Davine stated, “We have this group of volunteers, but we need many, many more.” She encourages people to sign up if interested, by visiting Maresponse.org or the city’s website.
Vaccination registration can also be done online through the states website. Cities such as Northampton and Amherst have designated, more simple and navigable sites. All of these sites include a form to be filled out – requiring your information, eligibility at the time, etc.
Registrations are filling fast, so make sure to get on waiting lists in multiple locations.
Anyone having trouble with registration can call the hotline for help at 587-1219.
For additional information on the COVID-19 vaccine, visit your city’s website or mass.gov.