Celebrating the Wider Availability of the Vaccine
Westchester Family Care (WFC) is happy to observe that the COVID-19 vaccine supply is opening up and now widely available with New York State’s phased vaccine plan. Currently, the vaccine is available to people 60 and older, people with certain underlying health conditions, health care personnel, certain other essential workers, and residents and staff at certain group living facilities. This is welcome news, indeed, for the population WFC serves and for our employees as well.
The places where New Yorkers can get vaccinated has spread from just one vaccination center at the Javits Center in December to hundreds of locations, including Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, most area hospitals, New York State-FEMA mass vaccination sites like York College in Queens and National Guard Armory in Yonkers. The vaccine distribution plan also includes availability at local pharmacies like CVS, Duane Reade / Walgreen’s, Rite Aid and Costco.
Thank You, New York State, for Efficient Oversight of the Vaccine
New York State has also taken great care to organize the prioritized phased distribution of the COVID vaccine. By New York Dept. of Health standards, we have passed through Phases 1A, 1B, 2, and 3 in terms of eligibility for the vaccine. The next Phase 4 will include all other essential workers and Phase 5 will comprise healthy adults and children.
Visit New York State’s COVID-19 Vaccination website to stay up to date on the vaccination rollout https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/.
In other good public health news, the flu curve this season has flattened, which is considered to be due to measures taken to mitigate COVID such as mask wearing.
In cases of potential COVID exposure to our own WFC caregivers, we follow CDC and NYS Department of Health guidelines with a quarantine (with pay) where they must remain symptom-free. Notably, other WFC caregivers who work with clients in long term care facilities must be COVID-tested week.
COVID Fatigue and Vaccination Resistance
It has also been widely reported in both national and local media that some people are hesitant to get tested for COVID as well concerns about taking the COVID vaccine.
- Home Care Association of America reports that one-third of its membership have concerns about being vaccinated for COVID.
- The Chief of the eleven NYC public hospitals reports that at least 30% of medical workers will not take the vaccination. [Source: NBC 4 New York, January/2021]
As we approach a full year since the national lockdown began in 2020, “COVID fatigue” may have worn people down from all the precautions that need to be taken to remain vigilant. Resistance to the COVID vaccination is varied: some people’s mistrust of science; misinformation from the (previous) national leadership; social media conspiracy theories; and, the broader “anti-vaccination” movement’s opposition to all vaccines in general.
Give Credit to the Science
The vaccine is perfectly safe and has been developed with the strictest of safety precautions. Three COVID-19 vaccines have currently been approved by both the FDA and New York State’s independent Clinical Advisory Task Force: the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the Moderna vaccine, and the Johnson & Johnson / Janssen vaccine.
In fact, The CDC’s current guidelines advise that fully vaccinated Americans can now gather indoors, maskless and without distancing, as long as it’s with others who’ve gotten their shots.
Safety Factors and Myth Busters:
- The COVID vaccine will not give you COVID.
- The CDC does not recommend COVID-19 screening tests before getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
- The COVID-19 vaccination is especially important for people with underlying health problems like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and obesity. People with these conditions are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19.
- The CDC recommends that you get vaccinated even if you have already had COVID-19, because you can catch it more than once.
- No serious side effects related to the vaccines have been reported.
- We will all need to continue to wear a mask, practice social distancing and good hand hygiene for the foreseeable future as the vaccine gets rolled out in phases.
Give Credit to the Scientist
Dr. Kizzemekia Corbett was the Team Leader doing vaccination research at the National Institute for Health. She said they took a lot of the knowledge they have gained in the last six years and applied it to a vaccine platform in collaboration with Moderna.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, credited Dr. Corbett for her work during a webinar. “The vaccine you are going to be taking was developed by an African American woman and that is just a fact,” Fauci said.
In a time where vaccine skepticism is high among African Americans, Dr. Corbett hopes Black people will put faith in the vaccine and faith in the scientists working behind the scenes to bring it to the American people. Dr. Corbett’s understanding of the socio-cultural issues and her knowledge of science has made her an influential person in the scientific community.
Please click on the CBS News clip for more on this incredible 34-year-old scientist who lead the breakthrough vaccine research that will have an impact on all of us:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-development-kizzmekia-corbett
Believe in the Vaccine. Belief in Yourself
WFC believes in getting the vaccine when the opportunity presents itself. We have, as a family and as a team, come through this crisis strong and united.
“We are still in the heart of unprecedented times and the threat of devastating illness. We are all in this together. The vaccine is not just for you; it’s for your families, our WFC clients, your co-workers, and all people you come into contact with. Stay safe. Wear a mask. Practice social distancing and hand hygiene. Take extra care in clients’ homes. Get vaccinated!”
– Glenn Lane, Founder
Westchester Family Care Inc. assists people of all ages, by customizing home care plans to maintain healthy quality of life and safety at home.
Contact WFC for an immediate family need or when planning for future needs: info@westfamilycare.com, 914-764-7500, www.westchesterfamilycare.com.
Westchester Family Care Provides Peace of Mind and Confidence that the Elderly Are Safe and Living with Dignity in Their Own Home.