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State announces priority groups for vaccine

MARQUETTE — Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials have provided additional information about COVID-19 vaccination plans for Michigan, including priority groups for vaccination administration, the vaccine development and safety process, and where Michiganders can find more details.

Last week, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended approval for one of the vaccines. The Associated Press reported that the first shipments of a COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use in the United States left Sunday from Michigan for distribution centers across the country. The first shots are expected to be given in the coming week to health care workers and at nursing homes.

“The COVID-19 vaccine will help all our communities eliminate the virus,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS chief medical executive and chief deputy for health, in a statement. “Because initial allocations of vaccine will be limited, we must prioritize how the vaccine will be distributed across the state and will use the guidance and principles outlined by the CDC and national experts.”

MDHHS is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for prioritization of distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccines, officials said.

Distribution of the vaccine will be in a phased approach, with an emphasis on both ensuring the continuing functioning of the health care system and essential services in the community, as well as protecting people at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness. These priorities might change as more information on vaccine effectiveness and additional vaccination products become available.

≤ Phase 1A includes paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials and are unable to work from home, as well as residents of long-term care facilities;

≤ Phase 1B includes some workers in essential and critical industries, including workers with unique skill sets such as non-hospital or non-public health laboratories and mortuary services;

≤ Phase 1C includes people at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness due to underlying medical conditions, and people 65 years and older.

≤ Phase 2 is a mass vaccination campaign for all adults.

MDHHS officials stressed that vaccination in one phase may not be complete before vaccination in another phase begins.

Vaccine distribution will roll out over a series of weeks, and current estimates are that by late spring 2021, enough vaccine will be available for everyone who is recommended to receive it.

There will be no out-of-pocket costs to individuals for the vaccine. However, health care providers may bill insurance for administrative costs. The COVID-19 vaccine will require two doses, separated by three or four weeks depending on the manufacturer. Michiganders should receive both doses to have full protection from the virus.

Whitmer releases statement

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a statement after the FDA approved Pfizer’s emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine.

“This is great news for our families, frontline workers, small businesses and economy,” she said. “In Michigan, a state built on hard work and innovation, a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine will be manufactured by Michigan workers at a Michigan business.”

Whitmer urged individuals to plan for how they will get the vaccine when it becomes available to them.

“I want to remind everyone that we must not let our guard down,” she said. “It will take time to widely distribute the vaccine, and we must all continue to do our part by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and washing our hands frequently.”

Whitmer last weekend signed Executive Order 2020-193, which creates the bipartisan Protect Michigan Commission to help educate Michiganders about an approved vaccine. Michigan health officials have set a goal of vaccinating 70% of Michiganders 18 years of age or older, about 5.4 million adults, by the end of 2021.

Blue Cross Blue Shield waiving copays

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network announced it will waive all copays, deductibles and coinsurance for administration of COVID-19 vaccines to commercial members during the government’s multi-phased approach to vaccine distribution.

This action includes Blue Cross and Blue Care Network commercial plans. Medicare is covering the vaccine costs for Medicare members.

Employer groups subject to the Affordable Care Act are required to cover administration of the vaccine, according to BCBSM, which indicated it will work with employers to guide them through applicable requirements.

Grants available on Tuesday

Eligible small businesses may apply for grants to help them navigate the COVID-19 crisis starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday at www.michiganbusiness.org/relief.

The Michigan Strategic Fund had approved a $10 million grant program to help meet the urgent needs of small businesses disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 virus. The Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiative will use federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funding to award grants of up to $15,000 to at least 660 small businesses across Michigan.

The program will provide a total of $10 million to one or more qualified grant administrators, which will administer and allocate grants of up to $15,000 each to eligible businesses around the state. Funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Erickson speaks on pandemic

Northern Michigan University President Fritz Erickson gave a presentation on NMU’s fall semester response to the pandemic during a statewide COVID-19 community response meeting convened Thursday by Whitmer.

The virtual session brought together those who have been participating in biweekly regional response calls to highlight successes and discuss work that has been completed and remains to be done in the coming year.

According to an NMU news release, Erickson’s PowerPoint presentation included two statistics about the safety level at NMU this fall: Only three COVID-19 cases were definitively linked to a class session out of nearly 25,000 class sessions held during the semester. Also, there were zero outbreaks in the residence halls beyond a roommate or suitemate situation.

“Northern’s goal for fall was to make as much in-person learning and on-campus living and working available as was safely possible,” Erickson said. “We were able to accomplish that for all but five class days at the start of the semester due to delayed results from the mass testing event for all students and employees, and for five at the end of the semester because of the state order for remote learning that went into effect Nov. 18.”

The August “Passport to Campus” mass testing of about 7,600 individuals was required as a condition of enrollment for students and of employment for faculty and staff. Erickson said NMU used Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and other university funding to cover nearly $750,000 in costs associated with that event and the voluntary surveillance testing held biweekly throughout the semester.

“The passport event was key to Northern’s fall in-person, on-campus living success for several reasons,” Erickson said. “It was comprehensive across campus. It tested symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, and all but two of the positives were asymptomatic. It also removed infected individuals from the campus population and sent the message before day one of fall classes that Northern was taking COVID-19 very seriously.”

Surveillance testing helped to guide decision-making related to campus visitors, athletic team activities, recreation services and in-person student activities. The formerly vacant Spalding Hall was used as a quarantine and isolation facility for on-campus students, with a 150-bed capacity.

Erickson also noted the Safe on Campus online dashboard NMU was updated daily during the fall semester. He said it offered “robust” information that was easy to digest and understand, and was used heavily by all campus groups, especially parents.

The dashboard, located at https://nmu.edu/safe-on-campus/, provided statistics on current and cumulative positive COVID-19 cases, quarantine/isolation counts and on-campus testing results, along with Marquette County’s weekly tallies and links to related resources.

Erickson said NMU plans another mass testing event from Jan. 4-18 prior to the start of classes on Jan. 19. Surveillance testing will increase in frequency from biweekly to weekly and the number of on-campus student volunteers in that group will double.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.

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