The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan 

Plattsburgh – Earlier today, Dr. Wouter Reitsema, CVPH Vice-President for Population Health and Information Services, conducted a news conference regarding COVID-19 vaccination progress in Clinton. Essex and Franklin Counties. CVPH is coordinating vaccination distribution to the health care community while the federal government working with pharmacies, not hospitals, coordinates distribution to nursing homes and long-term care facilities.  

Once the first tier/phase health care personnel are vaccinated, Dr. Reitsema said County Health Departments would be responsible for community-wide vaccinations. Health departments have experienced budgets cut for many years. They will have to find additional staff, including retired doctors, nurses and other personnel. He encouraged anyone trained in administering vaccines to volunteer. 

Here are other critical points covered: 

• By Thursday of this week, CVPH, Elizabethtown Community hospital, and Alice Hyde Hospital will have used 100% of their allocated vaccine. Dr. Reitsema commented, “We’re trying to get as many people vaccinated as we have the doses to do. This country has never seen anything like this. I think it’s fair to say it’s messy.” 
• CVPH  currently has seventeen hospitalized COVID patients, including three in ICU. Dr. Reitsema said he is very concerned that the surge might get worse.  He said, “If there’s a large number of people, we don’t have the staff to care for them. Staff will have to come from somewhere else. We’re worried. Everybody should be worried.” He said he believes that family gatherings over Thanksgiving and Christmas are the primary reasons for the surge. 
• Dr. Reitsema assumes the UK COVID mutation is in this area. CVPH does not have the technology to identify the mutation. 
• CVPH has no idea how many vaccine doses it will be receiving at a given time. Sometimes it gets three or four days’ notice.  Other times vaccines show up on its doorstep. He doesn’t know when vaccine shipments to this area will increase. 
• CVPH has vaccinated 1,500 personnel and is scheduled to vaccinate another 1,000 by this Thursday. Some of the first people vaccinated are ready for their second dose.  Second doses are arriving on time. 
• Some CVPH personnel chose not to be vaccinated. Dr. Reitsema thinks some people will change their minds as they see that the vaccines do not have adverse effects.  
• CVPH is entering identifying data for all people vaccinated in a state-wide database. Some facilities have the equipment to enter the information electronically. CVPH, however, has to enter all data manually.