Sessions offered to help older adults navigate vaccine process: Virus variant ID’d at downstate prison; virtual pizza party held to support local businesses amid pandemic

MARQUETTE -- Older adults in Michigan, who didn't get much experience in the digital age and now are facing challenges finding COVID-19 vaccine information online, now have a place to get help.

Through its partnership with the national education technology company GetSetUp, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Aging & Adult Services Agency is offering a series of sessions to walk older Michiganders through the Michigan COVID-19 vaccine website.

The goal is to help them find their local health department to register online for a vaccine appointment or to be added to the wait list.

"Older adults have faced various challenges in accessing COVID-19 vaccinations," said Dr. Alexis Travis, senior deputy director of the Aging & Adult Services Agency, in a statement. "We want to make it easier for individuals who have access to the internet to sign up online to receive a vaccine. Our partnership with GetSetUp is one way we are removing barriers and ensuring access to reliable and accurate information."

At 3 p.m. today, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan's chief medical executive and MDHHS chief deputy medical director, will join a session to provide a brief overview of the landscape in Michigan and to answer some frequently asked questions.

Registration is required. To register, visit www.getsetup.io/michigan or call 1-888-559-1614. Michiganders without internet access looking for vaccine information should contact the MDHHS COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-535-6136.

"We built GetSetUp to be a powerful community-based platform that could help older adults learn anything," said Lawrence Kosick, co-founder of GetSetUp, in a statement. "Right now, learning how to get a vaccine and scheduling an appointment is the top priority for older adults in Michigan, but many struggle with having sufficient technical expertise to find and navigate to the correct website(s) to sign up for the vaccine. Together with MDHHS, we've been able to expand our partnership and very quickly begin hosting live, online vaccine information sessions."

In addition to the vaccine information sessions, older Michiganders can access more than 150 free online group classes designed for and led by older adults. Classes include how to use a smartphone or tablet; how to use services such as video conferencing, email and social media; and virtual social hours.

More than 45,000 older Michiganders are currently taking advantage of free classes through GetSetUp.

This project is funded in part by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

Insurance agency helps pizza place

Kara Applekamp, an agent at the State Farm location at 2582 U.S. 41 West in Marquette Township, held a virtual pizza party on Tuesday -- National Pizza Day -- and helped a local business at the same time.

Involved in the effort was one of Applekamp's team members, Sally Howe.

"We wanted to celebrate the day but also support small local business, especially the restaurant business who have been impacted heavily by COVID-19," Howe said.

She said the State Farm office decided to support Lake Superior Pizza Subs & Specialties, located in Marquette, by buying the first 10 pizzas for its customers. State Farm also bought several pizzas for itself for its lunchtime, holding a virtual pizza party with other State Farm agents.

"We were celebrating the day and then doing our part for our local businesses," Howe said.

Variant found in Ionia

The Michigan Department of Corrections has learned of the detection of the SARS-CoV-2, B.1.1.7 variant at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in downstate Ionia.

This is the first known case of the variant inside a MDOC facility, according to the State Emergency Operations Center. After consultation with the MDHHS, all prisoners and employees there will now be tested daily instead of the weekly testing that had been conducted.

B.1.1.7 is believed to be more contagious, but there has been no indication that it affects the clinical outcomes or disease severity compared to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has been circulating across the United States for months, the operations center said.

However, a higher rate of transmission could increase the number of people who need to be hospitalized or who lose their lives to COVID-19 should the new variant begin circulating widely in Michigan.

To date, the virus has been identified in at least 34 other states and jurisdictions in the U.S. As of Wednesday, there were 61 cases in 11 jurisdictions in Michigan.

"The MDOC will be taking extra steps to identify where this variant is present amongst staff and the prisoner population and we will continue to do everything we can to keep the prisoners, our staff and the community safe," MDOC Director Heidi Washington said in a statement.

Under an emergency public health order issued by MDHHS on Wednesday, the MDOC requires daily testing of all employees at a facility where an outbreak of special concern has been declared for at least 14 days.

This new testing regimen will consist of a daily rapid antigen test. If a test result comes back positive, then a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test will be taken and sent to the state lab for testing for the variant.

Khaldun named to task force

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday announced non-federal members of the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, which includes Khaldun.

"The virus has had a disproportionate impact on our most vulnerable communities, including communities of color," Khaldun said in a statement. "I look forward to making contributions as part of this task force that will ensure that future pandemic responses do not ignore or exacerbate health inequities."

Khaldun has been the lead strategist advising the state's COVID-19 response and has held former roles leading work to address disparities as Detroit's health director and the chief medical officer of Baltimore.

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