As Denton County Public Health prepares to offer second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to residents who have already received their first, Director Matt Richardson said logistical issues may be on the horizon amid confusion between recipients and recipients and residents who simply do not return for their second hold.
Richardson addressed the vaccination effort and other developments throughout the coronavirus in the district during the Denton County Commissioners Court Meeting. He said that next week would be the first week that DCPH could offer the second dose of the Moderna vaccine, with about 28 days apart, as it would take nearly a month since its first clinic for emergency medical service providers and home health workers was held. .
The department expects the progress of the second dose to come this week, which according to Richardson is identical to the first doses.
“The booster vaccine is no different from the first dose – it’s exactly the same vaccine, in exactly the same formulation, in exactly the same volume,” Richardson said. “You can not mix and match. If you got the Moderna or the Pfizer, you should get it [same producer] as a boost. ”
Matt Richardson
But with the arrival of the second doses, Richardson could face some logistical hurdles. First, he acknowledged that not everyone who received the first survey would return for their second time – an issue he said providers across the country would need to address.
“I’m sure it’s not going to be a 100% return, so we’ll work through the problem,” Richardson said. “It will undoubtedly be a nationwide and national cause.”
For now, DCPH’s plan is to give residents only a second dose, which they also gave for the first time, while Richardson adds that the department does not recommend switching providers for the second chance. The recommendation is due to the state’s allocation system, which he says is set out to send vaccines specifically for use as second doses to suppliers based on their initial allocations, so everyone has enough.
Government officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott himself, addressed the issue earlier after some providers set aside a portion of their initial allocations to have enough to vaccinate recipients twice.
However, some of this confusion seems to remain among recipients and suppliers, as Precinct 4 commissioner Dianne Edmondson said at the meeting that she had received calls from residents whose initial suppliers had told them they were ‘on their own’ was as far as the second dose is concerned. . In response, Richardson reiterated the state’s guidance to suppliers, adding that it would be difficult for DCPH to pick up the slack.
‘Even if a pharmacy or doctor’s office says otherwise … the awards will follow. If they have given 100 first doses, they will receive a booster grant of another 100, and are expected to vaccinate the second dose against the same patients. , ”Richardson said. ‘If we do have extra doses, we could possibly open it up to the public. I’m not sure how we would coordinate this. ”
Jennifer Rainey, a spokeswoman for the DCPH, said in an email that the department had received the 6,000 doses he had been given for the week and that he would hold two transit clinics at First Baptist Church in Lewisville on Wednesday and Friday. Each has 3,000 vaccinations, the same size as last Thursday’s clinic at CH Collins Athletic Complex in Denton, and will still be available by appointment only via the DCPH online waiting list.
Rainey’s future clinic plans are still in the air as DCPH works through the details to offer the first and second doses of the vaccine.