CORONAVIRUS INFO PROVIDED BY DR. JIM HARRIS – 01/05/2021

1/5/2021

HELLO . MORE VACCINE INFORMATION TODAY

Harrison County averages 43 new COVID-19 cases per day

VACCINATION SITES IN HARRISON COUNTY, TX	CONTENT
CHRISTUS GSH MARSHALL	903 927 6000
SUPER 1 PHARMACY ON HWY 59	903 938 3096
HALLSVILLE BROOKSHIRE PHARMACY	903 668 1409

EMAIL FROM MITTIE HUTCHINS (THANK YOU MS HUTCHINS)_

“Hi Jim. I actually talked with a lady from DSHS to get info on where to get the vaccine. In addition to the ones you have listed, she said that you could absolutely cross state lines to get the vaccine. Louisiana (Shreveport) reported on CBS this morning that all participating pharmacies would be receiving the vaccine today. It was reported to see their website for locations. KSLA.com.

In addition, Brookshires on Gilmer Rd. Longview 903-297-6963, Super One on Hwy.80 Longview 903-753-1964, Super One on High St. Longview 903-234-2785, and Brookshires in Whiteoak, 200 W.US80, 903-297-2785. I was able to get my husband on that list. That is the only place I could get on a list. Also, Louis Morgan #4 in Longview 110 Johnston St. 903-730-6580. They are out and won’t let you get on a waiting list until they absolutely have the vaccine…”

From Johns Hopkins’ Selections:

1. ‘Still Waiting for My Turn’: Primary Care Doctors are Being Left Behind in the Vaccine Rollout (STAT News) He is not alone among primary care physicians, many of whom are not affiliated with hospitals and so have no direct link to vaccine distribution at this stage. “The rollout so far has been heartbreaking to witness from the standpoint of primary care,” said Emily Maxson, chief medical officer at Aledade, a company that works with more than 7,300 providers across 27 states.

2. Beijing Reports Tens Of Thousands Inoculated In 1st Days Of COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign (NPR) Beijing says it inoculated more than 73,000 people in the first two days after China’s first domestic COVID-19 vaccine was approved for commercial use. China’s capital has set up 220 vaccination centers around the city to dole out the two-step vaccine. The elderly and front-line medical workers will receive the first doses.

3. Here’s Why Distribution of the Vaccine Is Taking Longer Than Expected (New York Times) In Florida, less than one-quarter of delivered coronavirus vaccines have been used, even as older people sat in lawn chairs all night waiting for their shots. In Puerto Rico, last week’s vaccine shipments did not arrive until the workers who would have administered them had left for the Christmas holiday. In California, doctors are worried about whether there will be enough hospital staff members to both administer vaccines and tend to the swelling number of Covid-19 patients. These sorts of logistical problems in clinics across the country have put the campaign to vaccinate the United States against Covid-19 far behind schedule in its third week, raising fears about how quickly the country will be able to tame the epidemic.

Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines

Immunization coverage sufficient to achieve community immunity will reap enormous health, social, and economic benefits. Limited vaccine mandates with public support, in special high-risk or high-value settings, and with longer-term safety data can be part of a comprehensive package of interventions to return society to prepandemic life.

National Trends in the US Public’s Likelihood of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine—April 1 to December 8, 2020

As Germany awaits vaccine, mass vaccination centers are built in less than a week

It’s time to consider delaying the second dose of corona-virus vaccine

“In this nationally representative survey, self-reported likelihood of getting a COVID-19 vaccine declined from 74% in early April to 56% in early December 2020, despite the early November press releases of high vaccine efficacy for 2 vaccines in phase 3 trials, although prior to Emergency Use Authorization. Low likelihood of getting a COVID-19 vaccine among Black individuals and those with lower educational backgrounds is especially concerning because of their disproportionately higher burden from COVID-19 disease…Study strengths include analyses of change over time within the same group of individuals from a representative online survey panel. Limitations include use of only English- and Spanish-language surveys, self-reported metrics that may not correlate with future behavior, and small sample sizes for certain minority populations…Educational campaigns to raise the public’s willingness to consider COVID-19 vaccination are needed.”

J. Harris: The above is an opinion piece from the Washington Post. I don’t disagree with the concept of delaying second vaccine injections. Because of the increased infectivity of the Covid Mutation (“B 17”), the British are demonstrating (or at least hoping) that one shot will prevent infection. We are obviously having trouble distributing and injecting even one injection of our vaccines. We had a lot of time to get distribution set up; we obviously didn’t use our time wisely. Of course, there are a lot of us, but not as many as in Europe, China, and India who appear to be doing a better job of vaccine distribution and administration. I know that we will get the vaccinations organized soon — very soon I hope.

I am embarrassed for the people of The United States, for our government, and for our governmental medical bureaus, departments, and organizations — all one zillion of them. I also mourn the absence of “Organized Medicine,” (which is what we used to call the American Medical Association [AMA], state medical societies like the Texas Medical Association [TMA], and local county medical societies) who seemingly have not been included in the vaccination campaign. In the old days, all of those organizations would have demanded inclusion in the planning and would willingly have participated in the implementation of the efforts. Alas, now The Harrison County Medical Society (HCMS), the first such county medical society in Texas, exists now only on paper.

Like all states at present, Texas is not yet prepared to supervise distribution in the state. Most people thought that the federal government would handle and finance the immunization program. I appreciate the local hospitals in Texas who are trying to serve their communities by safely giving the injections, at no charge to my knowledge, when they get the vaccines. I am told that Christus Good Shepherd-Marshall Hospital will have some vaccine this week. I hope so. They will need a supply of vaccine for an indefinite period.

We have what seems to be two wonderful vaccines that are not being utilized, and, we are paying for our carelessness at the morgue. I’m mad at almost everyone, including myself — except for you.

Let’s work together, help who we can, and get this train back on the tracks. Help everyone you can, safely. Get your vaccination when you can and help other people get theirs — and be careful until (and after) you do. Don’t get sick. There is no room at the Inn.