City of Mammoth Lakes issued the following announcement on Dec 22.
"This is an historic day to celebrate in Mono County!"
The first eagerly awaited COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Mono County on December 21 – a momentous turning point in the global fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and an indispensable lifeline for our hard-working, frontline healthcare workers.
“This is an historic day to celebrate in Mono County. After nine months of battling the relentless and indiscriminate virus, we can now see some light at the end of a long dark tunnel. While this gets us started protecting our frontline healthcare workers, we expect to receive vaccines in small doses, and it will be a while, perhaps months, before we’re able to vaccinate everyone who wants it. We will follow federal and state guidance in prioritizing vaccination of a combination of essential workers whose work duties place them at higher risk and vulnerable members of the community. The pandemic situation is going to get worse before it gets better, so right now it is more important than ever to protect ourselves and others by staying home except for essential purposes, avoiding gatherings - especially indoors, and wearing those masks when it is not possible to keep adequate distance. And please keep washing your hands!” said Dr. Tom Boo, Mono County Public Health Officer.
Mammoth Hospital began vaccinating 300 of its frontline healthcare workers on Monday, December 21 with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in accordance with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and California Department of Public Health guidelines for the 1a group. The first vaccine went to Heather Anderson, a respiratory therapist. Other valuable doses went to doctors, nurses, and frontline healthcare workers.
"Today we received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine - a truly monumental day in the fight against COVID here in the Eastern Sierra! Our team is working diligently to get our frontline workers the vaccine, the first step towards a safer world. The vaccine is safe, effective and helps protect both our patients and each other," said Tom Parker, Mammoth Hospital Chief Executive Officer.
Also on December 21, Mono County Public Health received a limited supply of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and will commence immunizing additional people categorized in Phase 1a by the CDC. These include people at risk of exposure to COVID-19 through their work in any role, such as, but not limited to paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and others providing emergency medical services, home health care and in-home supportive services, community health workers, public health field staff, staff at dental and other oral health clinics, and pharmacy staff.
“We only received 100 doses of the Moderna Vaccine, so we have to be very strategic and thoughtful in who, based upon CDC guidelines, gets immunized in Mono County due to the extremely limited supply. We are prioritizing those people directly at risk of exposure to COVID-19 and have immediately commenced preparations to safely deliver these shots to our workers on the frontline fighting this horrible virus,” stated Bryan Wheeler, Mono County Public Health Director.
As more vaccine is allocated to Mono County, the Public Health Department will expand vaccination to other essential personnel and the community, focusing initially on adults aged 75 and older, and higher risk people with pre-existing conditions. The CDC has developed a schedule to vaccinate people within different risk categories that is available for review on the Vaccinate Mono webpage listed below. The general public is part of the Phase 2-3 roll-out anticipated to be spring, early summer 2021.
To inform Mono County residents of the safety, efficacy, and equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, including Frequently Asked Questions documents and CDC immunization recommendations, please visit the Vaccinate Mono webpage accessible from the Mono County COVID-19 Portal in English or Spanish.
Cover. Distance. Wash and #StaySafeToStayOpen!
Original source can be found here.
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