Local Officials Excited For Vaccine Rollout
December 23, 2020 at 10:39 p.m.
Local Officials Excited For Vaccine Rollout
By Amanda Bridgman-
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer hosted the last coronavirus press conference of the year Wednesday and invited Kosciusko County Public Health Officer Dr. William Remington, Bowen Center CEO Kurt Carlson, County Commissioner Cary Groninger, Kosciusko Community Hospital CEO Jae Dale and KCH Chief Nursing Officer Kimberly Finch to provide updates from their ends.
“Nationally, statewide and across the county, there’s been a little glimmer of good news as far as case counts,” Remington said. “November was a horrible month for all of us.”
He said in mid-November, Kosciusko County was averaging around 900 new cases per week. This week, Remington said it should be around 300.
“So, that leaves us in the orange designation. ... There’s been lots of testing going on at KCH and at the Bowen Health Clinic testing site at the fairgrounds,” Remington said.
“We’re hearing it’s a lot of friends and family gatherings, it’s not necessarily a big event or solitary event leading to cases, and with the upcoming holiday, I think it will serve us all well if we limit gatherings,” Remington said. “We’re trying to avoid stagnant, indoor crowded settings, which is a strong theme for transmission with this COVID virus.”
Remington suggested folks use technology to connect over the holidays and consider trying to be outdoors or at least let outdoor air inside.
“And, think about the elderly. ... The holidays are particularly special for our aged members, and it will be a delicate dance,” he said.
Remington said he got the Pfizer COVID vaccine Saturday at KCH and described it as efficient, exciting and “just amazing.”
Finch said KCH received 975 Pfizer vaccines and have already administered 500. She said a few people experienced flu-like symptoms for about 12 hours after the shot, but that those are a minority.
“Most people have had a little bit of a sore arm, but that’s it, so that’s pretty positive,” Finch said.
She also said KCH was expecting a shipment of 500 doses of Moderna vaccines Wednesday or today. Finch reminded people that whatever brand they get with their first vaccine shot, that brand is what will be required for the second round.
“Next week, long-term care facilities will be immunized through CVS or Walgreens using the Moderna product,” Remington said.
He said in January the phases should be pivoting to Phase 1B that will then include people age 75 and older and a broader set of infrastructural workers.
“It’s all very dynamic and depends on the supply chain of vaccine and the allocation of the available supply of vaccine, but that’s really great news,” he said.
Remington also reminded people to get a flu shot.
“We don’t need a heavy imprint of seasonal influenza,” he said.
Dale said he’s “tickled pink” with the county’s numbers going in decline.
“We are seeing, actually, most recently, a good drop in the number of hospitalized cases coming through, and that’s a very good sign that I’m hoping it becomes a trend,” Dale said. “I’ll tell ya, I’m tickled pink that it didn’t go higher after Thanksgiving, because I think we were all wondering what the gatherings of Thanksgiving would bring in terms of the positivity, the potential hospitalizations. ... A lot of folks decided to have smaller gatherings and really pay attention to the guidance that was given both nationally and locally and so I think that really helped, and I’m hoping that we can continue to do that. ... I’m really happy that the direction that we seem to be going as a community and people are aware of what they need to do. I think that’s a very good sign.”
Dale also said the ICU bed and ventilator capacity at KCH is in good shape and able to handle patients coming in the door.
Groninger said the county has reallocated some resources to help the health department and area businesses, saying, “We’re continuing to meet with businesses and restaurants and how they can stay open and serve safe, and if we do get a complaint, we’ll stop and visit. We’re here to help, we’re not here to be the heavy hand. We’re here to try to educate them ... and be able to stay open and serve our community.”
“I think we’ve done a good job in this community with the balance of doing the right thing and respecting that life has got to go on, and I think so far we’ve demonstrated that,” Thallemer said.
Carlson said the Bowen Center Clinic’s fairgrounds site is testing about 847 people per week, which is down from mid-November when they were testing 1,700 people per week at the peak.
Carlson also stressed the importance of mental health during the holidays.
“This holiday season is often stressful in the best of times, and these are certainly not the best of times,” he said. “When you look at all the impact that this COVID pandemic has had, you know it’s really restricted our movement and our travel, you can’t see your family or loved ones or friends as much as you’d like to previously had, you’ve had a loss of income in the family, maybe you’ve had a loss of loved ones in the family due to this, and my congratulations go out to the school system doing the very best they can with this rollercoaster ride that they’ve been on with open and eLearning, and it’s very stressful for parents who are now the teachers of those children at home. It’s just the uncertainty of things.”
Carlson suggested people be very intentional about setting up some time each day to do something they find joyful, pleasant or relaxing.
“Just do it for yourself. You have to be there for others in the family ... but be very thoughtful. Do something at least every day that you find pleasure in,” he said. “Also, find somebody you can talk to.”
He said people can call up an old friend and reminiscence about happy times, talk about their troubles and encouraged using FaceTime technology if they’re able so they can see the person they’re talking to.
“Make some plans for the coming year. There are things we can look forward to, things that we can plan,” Carlson said. “Get some rest. Exercise. Get outside and get fresh air. Bundle up and take a walk ... go get lost in the woods for awhile. I think that’s good advice.”
For anyone who may be feeling anxious or upset and a long walk doesn’t help, the Bowen Center is available to help with virtual visits and in-person office visits. They can be reached at 800-342-5652 or by going to www.bowencenter.org for services.
“During the time of the lockdown that we had in the spring, Bowen Center did more services in that period of time than they had in months leading up to that, so people really accessed our services because it was really convenient to get ahold of people and do it right from your home,” Carlson said.
“There is certainly hope,” Thallemer said. “I know our numbers gave us hope this week, but please continue to wear your masks, stay distanced, keep your visits to yourself as well and stay home at Christmas if you can. Use a lot of FaceTime to try to connect with your family over the holidays, and let’s really try and get through all this. This is our last press conference for the year 2020, and I won’t lie, I’ll be glad to see this year in the rearview mirror.”
The next coronavirus press conference will be held virtually at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 6.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer hosted the last coronavirus press conference of the year Wednesday and invited Kosciusko County Public Health Officer Dr. William Remington, Bowen Center CEO Kurt Carlson, County Commissioner Cary Groninger, Kosciusko Community Hospital CEO Jae Dale and KCH Chief Nursing Officer Kimberly Finch to provide updates from their ends.
“Nationally, statewide and across the county, there’s been a little glimmer of good news as far as case counts,” Remington said. “November was a horrible month for all of us.”
He said in mid-November, Kosciusko County was averaging around 900 new cases per week. This week, Remington said it should be around 300.
“So, that leaves us in the orange designation. ... There’s been lots of testing going on at KCH and at the Bowen Health Clinic testing site at the fairgrounds,” Remington said.
“We’re hearing it’s a lot of friends and family gatherings, it’s not necessarily a big event or solitary event leading to cases, and with the upcoming holiday, I think it will serve us all well if we limit gatherings,” Remington said. “We’re trying to avoid stagnant, indoor crowded settings, which is a strong theme for transmission with this COVID virus.”
Remington suggested folks use technology to connect over the holidays and consider trying to be outdoors or at least let outdoor air inside.
“And, think about the elderly. ... The holidays are particularly special for our aged members, and it will be a delicate dance,” he said.
Remington said he got the Pfizer COVID vaccine Saturday at KCH and described it as efficient, exciting and “just amazing.”
Finch said KCH received 975 Pfizer vaccines and have already administered 500. She said a few people experienced flu-like symptoms for about 12 hours after the shot, but that those are a minority.
“Most people have had a little bit of a sore arm, but that’s it, so that’s pretty positive,” Finch said.
She also said KCH was expecting a shipment of 500 doses of Moderna vaccines Wednesday or today. Finch reminded people that whatever brand they get with their first vaccine shot, that brand is what will be required for the second round.
“Next week, long-term care facilities will be immunized through CVS or Walgreens using the Moderna product,” Remington said.
He said in January the phases should be pivoting to Phase 1B that will then include people age 75 and older and a broader set of infrastructural workers.
“It’s all very dynamic and depends on the supply chain of vaccine and the allocation of the available supply of vaccine, but that’s really great news,” he said.
Remington also reminded people to get a flu shot.
“We don’t need a heavy imprint of seasonal influenza,” he said.
Dale said he’s “tickled pink” with the county’s numbers going in decline.
“We are seeing, actually, most recently, a good drop in the number of hospitalized cases coming through, and that’s a very good sign that I’m hoping it becomes a trend,” Dale said. “I’ll tell ya, I’m tickled pink that it didn’t go higher after Thanksgiving, because I think we were all wondering what the gatherings of Thanksgiving would bring in terms of the positivity, the potential hospitalizations. ... A lot of folks decided to have smaller gatherings and really pay attention to the guidance that was given both nationally and locally and so I think that really helped, and I’m hoping that we can continue to do that. ... I’m really happy that the direction that we seem to be going as a community and people are aware of what they need to do. I think that’s a very good sign.”
Dale also said the ICU bed and ventilator capacity at KCH is in good shape and able to handle patients coming in the door.
Groninger said the county has reallocated some resources to help the health department and area businesses, saying, “We’re continuing to meet with businesses and restaurants and how they can stay open and serve safe, and if we do get a complaint, we’ll stop and visit. We’re here to help, we’re not here to be the heavy hand. We’re here to try to educate them ... and be able to stay open and serve our community.”
“I think we’ve done a good job in this community with the balance of doing the right thing and respecting that life has got to go on, and I think so far we’ve demonstrated that,” Thallemer said.
Carlson said the Bowen Center Clinic’s fairgrounds site is testing about 847 people per week, which is down from mid-November when they were testing 1,700 people per week at the peak.
Carlson also stressed the importance of mental health during the holidays.
“This holiday season is often stressful in the best of times, and these are certainly not the best of times,” he said. “When you look at all the impact that this COVID pandemic has had, you know it’s really restricted our movement and our travel, you can’t see your family or loved ones or friends as much as you’d like to previously had, you’ve had a loss of income in the family, maybe you’ve had a loss of loved ones in the family due to this, and my congratulations go out to the school system doing the very best they can with this rollercoaster ride that they’ve been on with open and eLearning, and it’s very stressful for parents who are now the teachers of those children at home. It’s just the uncertainty of things.”
Carlson suggested people be very intentional about setting up some time each day to do something they find joyful, pleasant or relaxing.
“Just do it for yourself. You have to be there for others in the family ... but be very thoughtful. Do something at least every day that you find pleasure in,” he said. “Also, find somebody you can talk to.”
He said people can call up an old friend and reminiscence about happy times, talk about their troubles and encouraged using FaceTime technology if they’re able so they can see the person they’re talking to.
“Make some plans for the coming year. There are things we can look forward to, things that we can plan,” Carlson said. “Get some rest. Exercise. Get outside and get fresh air. Bundle up and take a walk ... go get lost in the woods for awhile. I think that’s good advice.”
For anyone who may be feeling anxious or upset and a long walk doesn’t help, the Bowen Center is available to help with virtual visits and in-person office visits. They can be reached at 800-342-5652 or by going to www.bowencenter.org for services.
“During the time of the lockdown that we had in the spring, Bowen Center did more services in that period of time than they had in months leading up to that, so people really accessed our services because it was really convenient to get ahold of people and do it right from your home,” Carlson said.
“There is certainly hope,” Thallemer said. “I know our numbers gave us hope this week, but please continue to wear your masks, stay distanced, keep your visits to yourself as well and stay home at Christmas if you can. Use a lot of FaceTime to try to connect with your family over the holidays, and let’s really try and get through all this. This is our last press conference for the year 2020, and I won’t lie, I’ll be glad to see this year in the rearview mirror.”
The next coronavirus press conference will be held virtually at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 6.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092