Vaccines expected in county this month

RITZVILLE – Adams County Health Officer Dr. Alex Brzezny reported to county commissioners Dec. 9 that he expected to see COVID-19 vaccines arriving in the county in the next couple of weeks.

He said the FDA is currently reviewing two different vaccines, including one made by Pfizer which requires ultra-low temperatures for transportation.

“As soon as that approval takes place, the vaccine will be released,” Brzezny said. “I know that within another couple of days, a vaccine which does not require these ultra low temperatures, the Moderna vaccine, will also be reviewed by FDA. I think it’s more likely than not that we will be receiving the Moderna vaccine; however, nobody at this point really knows which vaccine will be going where in Washington state.”

Karen Potts, spokesman for Adams County Health Department, said East Adams Rural Hospital would be the first facility in the county to receive the vaccine.

“Washington state will be receiving the Pfizer vaccine in the coming weeks,”

Jennifer Pepperd, Chief Nursing Officer at East Adams Rural Healthcare said Dec. 14. “Distribution is being conducted by the Department of Health and will be available at different facilities in the area. At this time, EARH does not have an anticipated date of delivery.”

Pepperd said when a delivery date becomes available, EARH staff will provide the information to the public via their Facebook page and other media.

Only facilities who signed up to receive the vaccine will be getting it. Potts said the health department did not sign up for either vaccine.

“We don’t have storage capabilities either for ultra-cold, or a large amount of vaccine,” Potts said. “The first round is all set aside to go to hospital facilities.”

Potts said it would not be mandatory for anyone to take the vaccine.

“The big question is, how many people will take the vaccine? We’re all kind of waiting, hoping to see if it’s going to be the beginning of the end of this whole mess, but there’s a lot of people who are going to be real hesitant to take it,” Potts said. “There’s just no way to know until we get there. Are the people of Adams County willing to take this vaccine, or are they going to want to wait and see how it goes before they step up and take it? We don’t know that. No one will be forced to take it.”

She said Othello Community Hospital and Columbia Basin Health Association both signed up for the vaccine, after East Adams Rural Hospital had already been approved.

Brzezny said the first priority for receiving vaccines, according to Center for Disease Control recommendations, would be individuals in long term care facilities and healthcare workers.

“The second priority is people who are in the vulnerable groups, and that’s a much larger group of individuals,” Brzezny said. “If you added together all health care workers in the state of Washington with all people who are still alive in long term care facilities, you will not be able, with the vaccine that will be delivered, until the end of the year, 25% is the highest you will get to with the available vaccines. So in this country, even if we deployed everything that’s out there by the end of the year, we will get to about 20% of all healthcare workers with all long term care facilities.”

Brzezny said since two doses of the vaccines were recommended, distribution wasn’t quite clear.

“Are you going to sit on some doses, reserve them for four weeks for people who are currently vaccinated, or are you just going to deploy everything you have with the hope that you will get enough within three to four weeks to vaccinate the people who already were vaccinated and you are ruling out more vaccine to those who are being newly vaccinated,” Brzezny said.

Commissioner Terry Johnson asked about reported side effects from the vaccine, and Brzezny said an additional 30 to 40 vaccines would be available soon.

“The first two vaccines, on which we have most data, are the ones called the MNRA vaccine. Those have the genetic vaccines which incorporate piece of the virus RNA into the person’s immune system,” Brzezny said. “Those two vaccines are showing you would expect one in four or maybe even more people developing something of a flu-like illness.”

Brzezny said the United Kingdom is issuing guidance not to administer the vaccines to people with a history of any severe allergy.

“No vaccine is without concern,” Brzezny said. “Will there be people who have more severe reaction? Yes.”

Commissioner Roger Hartwig asked if there were any implications for people holding large weddings like the one recently attended by 300 people, and affecting people in Grant and Adams counties.

Brzezny said the wedding, although held within the boundaries of Adams County, was mostly attended by Grant County residents, and the organizers of the event reside in Grant County.

“We think it was attended by over 300 people. Weddings like these are illegal, and the organizers are aware that is the case. This particular wedding has resulted in a multitude of outbreaks which are now very well documented, and have resulted in outbreaks in long-term care facilities,” Brzezny said. “We also have linked the cases to deaths. Because of it, Grant County has taken a step to work closely with the governor’s office and there has been reporting of various investigations to those officials. Enforcement is usually with prosecuting attorneys, or the state attorney general’s office. Because those are governor’s Safe Start orders. So an event like that, because it has implications for many counties, and affected people in many counties and outside of our state, we felt that this best be dealt at the governor’s office/attorney general’s office, and that’s where it’s at, at this time. I cannot comment or provide any additional information.”

Commissioner Hartwig next asked about the negative affects of COVID-19 restrictions.

“I know we need to protect ourselves as cases continue to go on, but we are affecting so many others things because of the virus,” Hartwig said. “The percentage of children now failing at least two classes is 84%. We’re getting behind on so many other things, and the other health issues that people don’t get tended to. So how much is this affecting us in other ways?”

Brzezny cited an example from a school district in Wenatchee.

“They were comparing their failing rates currently with the program they are running, which is a hybrid program, with their fail-rate last year. They discovered that they are able to identify failing students much faster. And they get to them with wrap-around services, which they were not doing last year,” Brzezny said. “So there could be a silver lining. But I think it is very much staff-dependent and program-dependent.”

He then said Quincy School District was no longer having snow days, with learning remotely.

“So there may be opportunities for improving performance for failing students who would be failing otherwise as well, with methods that we have previously not rolled out,” Brzezny said. “But I will tell you that is a function of the independent, individual school district; what sort of strike team they have for the failing students. And so that is positive for me. I would encourage the school districts to learn from each other about how they are addressing the so-called failing students.”

Brzezny agreed with Hartwig the pandemic was affecting all aspects of society.

“It is affecting, across the board, all functions of the society, or all things we really like about our communities,” Brzezny said. “Fishing is still available. Not to be flippant about it. We have been much more outdoor, all of us, then we have been last year one year ago.”

Brzezny said he tries to communicate this is not a question of “economy versus COVID.”

“If you do not control COVID, and that’s where we are, you are not going to be able to have these functions of society operating normal,” Brzezny said.” And you are going to suffer as a society, no doubt.”

Adams County contracted with Brzezny in August of 2018 to provide services as the County Health Officer.