Seniors Staying Connected: Via Center Coronavirus Update 2.8.2021 [email protected] www.viamobile.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theviacenter/ Instagram: via health fitness *** COVID QUICK HITS *** 1. February 8: 65 and older are eligible for vaccine 2. ADPH launches On-line Portal: https://www.alcovidvaccine.gov/ 3. Masks remain required for everyone - even the vaccinated – through March 5th 4. No Via outdoor fitness classes February 15 & 19 – Mardi Gras SENIORS STAY CONNECTED: VIA’S UPCOMING EVENTS DRIVE-THROUGH SENIOR SOCIAL "Grill & Grab a Moon Pie!" Friday, February 12 * Via Center Portico * 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Come by the Via Center, grab a hotdog, moon pies, goody bag and chat with staff. Our way of celebrating our community's Mardi Gras holiday during Covid. This is a safe way for Seniors to SDS (social distance socialize)...please get out and about and attend! Thank you, Thrivent, for your support! See Who’s Attending Registration Call: 251.470.5229 E-Mail: [email protected] Online: Click Here DRIVE-THROUGH SENIOR COMMUNITY FOOD DISTRIBUTION "Stock the Staples" Friday, February 26 * Via Center Portico * 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. This month's community food distribution is a "Stock the Staples" event. Covid is - again- creating a grocery stockpiling situation, and many Seniors are finding empty shelves of staple goods. Items will include: grits, spaghetti, peanut butter, rice, dry beans, flour and sugar. *Individual registration required. *Masks required for all attendees/passengers in vehicles. Registration Call: 251.470.5229 E-mail: [email protected] Online: Click Here Lab Confirmed Cases By County COVID IN OUR STATE FEBRUARY 8: 65 AND OLDER ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINE In December and January, as our state recorded almost a third of its Covid cases: 109,000 of its 361,226 confirmed cases. The surge came after Thanksgiving and Christmas and continuing due to New Year’s Eve festivities. Currently, Alabama ranks 47th in the country for Covid vaccinations. This is a move up from 50th place last week. The state has received 764,125 doses from the federal government and 302,269 have actually been administered (Alabama Department of Public Health - ADPH). The timetable for vaccine distribution has been characterized as slow. Health officials cite slow delivery of vaccine doses from the federal government as the main problem. New partnerships with private pharmacies and Walmart should speed vaccinations. Next week, 6,500 U.S. Pharmacies are receiving 1 million doses. ADPH ONLINE PORTAL LAUNCHED Portal is to check vaccine eligibility and make appointments. The site will outline vaccination clinics being offered in each county, and allows people to sign up for email updates on eligibility. Online Portal for Eligibility and Scheduling: https://www.alcovidvaccine.gov/ VACCINE TOURISM The CDC has updated guidelines and instructed states to begin vaccinating people 65 and older. Many of our neighbor states have started this protocol, such as Florida and Mississippi. Alabama's leaders say there’s not enough vaccines to begin 65 and older on our state. Many non-residents (such as snowbirds in Gulf Shores) were vaccinated under less restrictive residency requirements. Although city leaders are now calling for residents to be first in line, there is no vaccine residency requirement in Alabama. “Regardless of what you hear about, governors in Florida or mayors restricting, we cannot restrict based on federal law and State of Alabama law.” Dr. Scott Chavers, Mobile County Health Department – MCHD. VACCINE SHOPPING If you are in an eligible group to receive a vaccine, you can get one from another Alabama county. “It’s really a person’s individual choice in terms of where they go for vaccinations, we do not specifically have any restrictions on where people live on if they wish to go to an adjacent county if that’s more convenient or that’s where they can get an earlier appointment,” Dr. Karen Landers, Assistant State Health Officer, ADPH. ADPH has established a Vaccine Locator Tool. Click Here for Vaccination Locator Map VACCINE ELIGIBILITY Currently, we are in eligibility Phase 1A , 1B and a portion of 1C Phase 1A: healthcare workforce, residents in nursing homes/assisted living, emergency medical personnel, clergy with direct patient contact and hospital credentials Phase 1B: 75 and older and first responders - currently eligible, people working or living in homeless shelters, group homes, prisons or jails, workers from public transit, educators/childcare, food and agriculture, USPS, manufacturing and grocery stores Phase 1C: age 65-74, age 16-64 years with high-risk medical conditions, essential workers in these fields: transportation and logistics, waste and wastewater, foodservice, construction, shelter and housing, finance, IT and communications, energy, legal, public safety, media, public health workers COVID VARIANT COMES TO ALABAMA: THE UNITED KINGDOM STRAIN Alabama has detected the new Covid strain, the UK. This more highly transmissible variant has infected three people in Alabama, found in two children and one adult in Montgomery and Jefferson Counties. The UK is thought to be more contagious, but not more virulent (harmful). It has been detected in at least 24 other states and in the UK late last year. Moderna says its Covid vaccine created antibodies that will protect against UK. KEEP MASKING UP! Last week, Governor Ivey announced the extension of the Safer-at-Home Order until March 5. Ivey: “Folks, at one point last week, of the 1,600 IC beds in our state, 1,561 were occupied. That means that only 39 ICU beds were available for Covid, cancer patients or folks involved in severe accidents.” There are no other changes - mask requirements, social distancing remain in place. Even if you have been vaccinated, masks are still required. Click Here for Amended State Order Click Here for State Chart View COVID IN OUR COMMUNITY CASES HIGHER, BUT LEVELLING OFF AND CONTINUAL VACCINE SHORTAGES As predicted, Mobile County did see an increase in cases from the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. The holiday season beginning in November (19,548 cases) through January 28 (32,683 cases) gives us a 60% increase in cases. The death rate continues to be serious for Seniors, with ages 50-65 comprising 94.4% of all deaths. Hospitalizations, a key indicator of our ability to handle positive cases, have increased and are holding steady at the higher level. A shortage of beds is not currently an issue for Mobile. VACCINE ROLL OUT SLOW Vaccination frustrations continue in Mobile, as well as across the state. The MCHD hasn’t received any significant supply of vaccine since mid- January. To be ready for distribution when vaccines arrive, the health department is transitioning to “no appointments” needed model for public vaccination events. Residents NO longer need to call the toll free ADPH Vaccine Appointment Line. All information that has been submitted to ADPH has been transferred to MCHD. In addition, MCHD will have to make due with less vaccine, as state officials spread vaccine doses to rural providers. After this, county health departments will get about a third of the state’s allotment of the Moderna vaccine to give out 2nd doses and 400 first doses. COVID IN OUR COUNTRY The U.S. started 2021 with the deadliest month of the Covid pandemic to date. January’s death toll (79,200) surpassed the previous record number of fatalities set in December, a month when more than 77,400 people died. As of January 31, 443,00 have died in the country. VACCINE/VIRUS RESEARCH UPDATE NEW VARIANTS In addition to the new UK variant, mutations of the Covid virus from South America (SA) and Brazil have been discovered. The UK and SA are more easily spread, but symptoms don’t appear to be worse. SA has been found in South Carolina. In Japan, the virus was identified in four travelers from Brazil, who were tested during routine travel screening. The Brazil variant, found in Minnesota, contains a set of additional mutations that may affect the vaccine’s ability to create antibodies to fight the virus. NEW VACCINE OPTIONS - The Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine is expected to be approved in February. It is 85% effective in moderate to severe Covid cases. - The WHO has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, expanding cheaper and easier-to-distribute options. VACCINATION REMINDERS You will need 2 doses of the vaccine for it to be effective. When you receive your first dose, make sure to schedule your second dose and follow through. Medicare covers all Covid expenses for the vaccine, so there will be no cost to Seniors. VACCINATION INFORMATION Upcoming Events - First Dose Through Thomas Hospital Hope Center at 3 Circle Church, located at 10274 State Highway 104, Saturdays February 6 and February 27, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Moderna vaccines will be administered to 1,500 in groups 1A, 1B and those 65 and older first-come-first served Daphne Civic Center Clinic Moves to Foley Starting February 2nd, people who qualify should report to Downtown OWA (Amusement Park) in Foley at 100 N. OWA Blvd, 36535. Officials are combining the registration and vaccine process into a one time, first come, first serve drive thru. Clinic hours are 9:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday VACCINE PROVIDERS - Semmes Pharmacy, at 4154 Wulff Road E: 251.645.7979/semmespharmacy.com - FOPHC Women’s Health, at 251 Bayou St: 251.690.8158 - Mainstreet Family Care, at 6280 Grelot Road: 251.288.5606/COVID-19 Testing Resources - MainStreet Family Care - Three Notch Pharmacy, at 4880 Lakeland Drive, Suite F: 251.661.0066 - New Grand Bay Pharmacy, at 12475 U.S.