However, local public health experts said they were pleased with the progress being made in this region.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control COVID Data Tracker, as of Monday, January 4, more than 15.4 million doses had been distributed nationwide.
Only 4.5 million of them were administered, far less than the federal government’s goal of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of 2020.
Some have blamed the shortage of staff able to deliver the vaccines, but that does not appear to be a problem in Fargo-Moorhead or in their respective Cass or Clay counties.
Suzanne Schaefer, director of nursing at Fargo Cass Public Health, said they do not have to transmit any vaccine from week to week.
‘When we got it, we applied it. We have zero in our fridge, ”said Schaefer.
FCPH vaccinated 728 people as of Monday, including emergency medical services, firefighters, law enforcers and residents of group homes.
“We know it’s best for us to get it in our arms immediately if we want to start with the protection,” she said.
At the nationwide level, North Dakota was also able to release the vaccine quickly.
According to Monday, 64% of the vaccine doses were administered, according to Molly Howell, director of the vaccination program at the health department.
Of the 35,250 doses distributed, approximately 22,685 were placed in the arms of people who had the highest vaccination for the vaccine in North Dakota.
The percentage of doses administered from South Dakota was similar, while Minnesota so far has been a little slower to remove the vaccine.
The Minnesota Department of Health announced Monday that 297,350 doses of coronavirus vaccine have been dispensed and distributed to suppliers.
Of these, 78,402 doses or about 26% were administered; however, the department noted on its website that it can take up to 48 hours before data is fully processed and recorded.
Howell said it could be that other states have more doses in long-term care centers, many of which are associated with the Federal Pharmacy Partnership program to administer the vaccine.
North Dakota does not have as many pharmacies involved, including Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy, she said.
Liz Bjur, Clay County Public Health Nurse, confirmed that most long-term care facilities in Minnesota are enrolled in the federal program.
Eventide at the Eighth in Moorhead received the vaccine award in early December because it had the ability to vaccinate its own residents and staff.
Other competent nursing homes in Clay County, including the Moorhead Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Moorhead, Viking Manor in Ulen and Valley Care and Rehab in Barnesville, are receiving vaccinations this week under the federal pharmacy partnership.
“Every time you roll out a whole new vaccine to a large number of people, it will take time for things to fall into place,” Bjur said.
Under the partnership, the pharmacy is responsible for receiving, storing and administering the vaccine, along with sending the data to the immunization registry for the state, she said.
Vaccinations also begin this week at a centralized location in Clay County for about 250 emergency medical personnel not connected to a health care system in Clay and the neighboring counties of Becker, Otter Tail and Wilkin.
About 40 staff members working at the COVID saliva test site in Moorhead, and about 40 COVID vaccinations in the community, including public health nurses, will also receive the shots in Clay County, Bjur said.
At FCPH, Schaefer expects to receive another 500 doses this week, which will be used for the rest of the priority groups they were unable to conclude last week.
Howell said this phase of North Dakota’s vaccination program involving health care workers and nursing homes is actually the simplest.
Prioritizing other groups later according to occupational risk, age and underlying health conditions will be much more difficult.
“I do think in other phases it will get more complicated,” Howell said.
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