ESCANABA — Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties (PHDM) provided an update on vaccination efforts in Delta and Menominee counties Monday.

In a press release, the agency stated vaccines are distributed to local communities by the State of Michigan through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Currently, only hospitals, local health departments and some tribal entities are able to receive vaccines. To date, Menominee County has received 1,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, 500 of which have been distributed to Hannahville Indian Community and 500 doses have been distributed to PHDM. Delta County has received 4,800 doses. The difference in the number of vaccines distributed to our two counties is due to the fact that there is no hospital located in Menominee County to receive additional doses. Many of the doses received in Delta County have been administered to eligible Menominee County residents.

Hospitals and health departments are notified of their allotment of vaccine on Friday afternoons. The shipment of vaccine typically arrives on Monday morning and the number of doses received is not consistent from week to week. This short notice and varying amounts of vaccine make it very difficult for planning clinics.

Both vaccines that are being administered in the United States, Pfizer and Moderna, require two doses. When doses are distributed to a hospital or local health department they are designated as first or second dose. This is to assure that everyone who has received a first dose has a second dose available to them. For this reason, the number of doses distributed will be more than doses administered until everyone has received their second dose. Of the 1000 doses received in Menominee County, 800 were designated as first dose and 200 as second dose. In Delta County, of the 4,800 doses received, 3,625 were designated as first dose and 1 175 as second dose. Hospitals and local health departments are required to administer at least 90% of first doses within seven days of receiving the vaccine. Both Delta and Menominee Counties are meeting this requirement.

In Delta County as of January 28, there have been 4,491 doses administered out of the 4,800 doses sent to the hospital and PHDM. This means 94% of the doses (first and second) received locally have been administered. The remaining doses are mostly second doses which will be administered once the appropriate timeframe between doses has been met.

In Menominee County as of January 28, there have been 931 vaccines administered out of the 1,000 doses sent to PHDM and Hannahville. This means 93% of the doses (first and second) received locally have been administered. Again, the remaining doses are second doses which will be administered once the appropriate time frame between doses has been met.

For the week of January 25 PHDM received 400 first doses of Moderna vaccine on Monday, January 25. All 400 doses were administered by the end of the day on Tuesday the 26th to individuals over the age of 65 from both Delta and Menominee counties.

PHDM is offering vaccines at our Menominee office and at Bay College in Delta County. All vaccinations are by appointment only. Since January 11, 2021 PHDM has administered over 2600 vaccines. On Friday, January 29 PHDM held a clinic at the Menominee High School and administered 184 vaccinations to education staff and first responders from the Menominee area. These doses were provided to PHDM from OSF St. Francis Hospital and Healthcare group.

At this time, due to extremely limited vaccine supply, the current Phase 1b priority group has been sub-prioritized into Groups A, B, and C. Currently, with the exception of Friday’s educator and first responder clinic, PHDM is only offering vaccine to those 65 years of age and above; while OSF St. Francis Hospital and Healthcare Group is vaccinating eligible individuals in Group B (including first responders, Corrections and Jail staff, education personnel, homeless shelter employees, child and adult protective services workers, and day care employees). Eligible employers will be notified when vaccine is available and their staff can make appointments. Until additional vaccine becomes available and all eligible Group B individuals have been offered a vaccine, there is no timeline for when we will be able to begin vaccinating individuals in Group C (including many essential critical infrastructure workers whose jobs must be performed in-person and places them in close contact with the public or co-workers). Currently, only individuals in priority group 1B, groups A and B and age 65 and above are eligible to receive the vaccination.

“The waiting list to receive a vaccine in Delta and Menominee counties currently exceeds 4,000 individuals. The volume of calls we received for the COVID-19 vaccine exceeded our expectations, however, we continue to work on returning calls from those who have left messages. PHDM is currently not adding to the waiting list. Once those on the waiting list have received their vaccine, PHDM is adding the option of an on-line scheduler in addition to scheduling by telephone to make appointments when vaccine is available. PHDM appreciates everyone’s patience as we navigate through the vaccination process amidst state and federal changes and look forward to the opportunity to provide your COVID-19 vaccination as soon as you are eligible to receive one.” the health department stated.