Kathrine Alderman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Kiwanis Club met on Wednesday, Feb. 17, for their weekly meeting, inviting guest speaker Pam Beck to talk to them about what's been going on at the Health Department recently. However, before she got up and spoke, the Kiwanis Club followed their general proceedings, handling club business first.
The Kiwanis Club started the meeting by introducing any guests that came and then giving a few announcements. After the announcements, they took a moment to collect their "happy bucks," which are a dollar or two that club members give for things that have made them happy this past week. It could be anything from being happy to be there or being happy an event happened without incident. Whatever the reason you're happy, you give up a buck to help out the club. It's a great way to find things to be happy about while also helping the club.
After that, the Boy Scouts recognized two Kiwanis members for their help in supporting the local program through donations last year. Terry Whittaker, the scout executive for the local council, the Suwanee River area council for Boy Scouts, presented the two members with eagle trophies, as their recognition program is called the "eagle club," to thank them for their contributions to the Boy Scouts.
Once all the business was out of the way, Kiwanis President Phil Smith introduced Pam Beck as the speaker. She came up to talk about the Health Department, COVID-19 and how the vaccines have been progressing.
Firstly, Beck wanted to talk about things the Health Department offered that weren't related to COVID-19. During this time, we've all been so preoccupied with COVID-19 that we can forget about other health needs and that the Health Department offers other services than just COVID-19 tests and vaccines. Beck mentions the clinic that they have, which provides communicable disease, family planning and prenatal services. They actually contract with Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH) to come out and do the clinic's prenatal services, as there is no prenatal provider out here. Along with their clinic, they also have a lot of program activities. They do tobacco cessation, chronic disease education and a school program called sexual risk avoidance.
So, even though COVID-19 has been a big part of all our lives recently, it isn't the only thing the Health Department does. That being said, it is a lot of what the Health Department has been handling recently, so Beck transitioned into talking about COVID-19.
Beck says that in almost the past year, we have 1380 cases in Jefferson County, and the median age for those cases is 52. The majority of the cases, about half, were white non-Hispanic. About 44 percent were black non-Hispanic, and the remaining were Hispanic. Currently, we're experiencing a surge in COVID-19 due to Christmas and holidays that happened in the past few months, but they're working on getting it under control.
The Health Department currently does COVID-19 testing two times a week, on Mondays and Fridays. They are putting most of their efforts towards getting everyone they can vaccinated, which they do Tuesday through Thursday. So far, they've given 3,359 shots in the arm, with some help from TMH as well. That number reflects total doses they've given, not total people, as the Moderna vaccine, which is being used here in Jefferson County, is a two-dose vaccine. So, the amount of shots doesn't necessarily reflect the number of people vaccinated. Beck did provide totals, though, stating 1,196 people have completed both series and are finished with their vaccine, and an additional 987 people have had the first shot.
Right now, the vaccine is available to those who are 65 and older and to healthcare workers, per Governor Ron DeSantis' phased plan for vaccination. Beck mentions there is an avenue available for those under 65 for who it has been deemed medically necessary to get the vaccine. Your private doctor can order the vaccine through a hospital. Beck says that she knows Madison Memorial Hospital is doing those types of vaccines, but only those types. She notes that they are not vaccinating 65 and older, just those for whom it has been deemed medically necessary.
The Health Department must get rid of their vaccines after a week if they don't use them. For a while, they were getting 500 doses a week, but they've now cut back to 100 doses a week, as we are one of the few counties that have vaccinated more than 50 percent of our 65 and older population. Beck does relate some of this to our smaller population size--than say that of Leon County--but it is still an achievement to be proud of. So far, they haven't had to throw out any vaccines and do their best to make sure they are using up everything given to them.
Beck mentions they are currently working with the Senior Center to see if they can possibly do these vaccines in the home to get the vaccine to homebound seniors. They are also distributing flyers all around, with instructions on how to sign up for an appointment and get the vaccine. She mentions that most of the population who has received the vaccine are white non-Hispanics, so they are trying to advertise it and get people in other communities vaccinated.
Though they are not sure, Beck says they believe that the government will be opening vaccinations up to those under 65 sometime in April. Again, they aren't sure of that, but it is what they have currently heard.
The Health Department is currently scheduling vaccines in real-time, so if you call, they'll generally see if you can come in that day to get the vaccine if you're eligible and it's a day they're doing them. So, if your schedule allows, you could get the first dose of the vaccine relatively quickly. Beck recommends to any who are wary of the vaccine to speak to their primary care physician about it. Everyone has their own unique situations, and speaking to your doctor is the best way to know if getting the vaccine is the right move for you. "We aren't trying to coerce anybody," Beck said of the Health Department, "but we are trying to get to 75 percent immunization." So, again, if you're wary about the vaccine, the best thing to do is speak to your doctor about your own unique situation and move forward from there.
When Beck was questioned about how long the vaccine's immunity would last, she answered that they can only guarantee three months. It's possible that it will last longer than that, but there is just not enough data to give a guaranteed immunity past that point.
Beck brought her speech to a close with the reminder that the vaccine really is effective, and what she predicts will happen is that COVID-19 will become a lot like the flu. They'll investigate it as an outbreak if a hospital is hit with a certain number of cases, but you won't have the contact tracing and such that we have now. She also mentioned that the Health Department vaccines are free, and they have excellent nurses to help you through the process if you come in for the vaccine. Lastly, if you have a group of ten or more that need to get the vaccine, they'll come to you! Beck left the stage to a round of applause, and the meeting closed relatively quickly.
The Kiwanis Club meets every Wednesday at the Jefferson County Country Club, located at 748 Boston Hwy., for lunch and a meeting. The meetings start at noon, and they'll generally feature a speaker such as Pam Beck. So, make sure you don't miss their next meeting and the chance to meet some fantastic people and listen to an engaging speaker.
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