GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Agencies across West Michigan were busy preparing to administer the lower-dose COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine to kids ages five to 11 Wednesday.
“This is undoubtedly a huge milestone on our progress with combating this pandemic,” Dr. Rosemary Olivero, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Spectrum Health related.
The wheels, fully in motion in the drive to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of Michigan children.
Spectrum Health received its first shipment ahead of Tuesday’s official greenlight from the CDC.
“We understand the timeline for the build,” Brian Brasser, COO of Spectrum Health’s stable of Grand Rapids-based hospitals explained. “There’s a lot of complexity behind the scenes and our teams are working diligently… while the distribution has begun, it has begun in just small increments.”
Those first shots will find their way to 60 Spectrum affiliates, including family practices, pediatric clinics, walk ins and urgent care facilities. But as of Wednesday morning, Spectrum revealed only 300 doses had found their way into cold storage across the entire health system.
“As far as timing, providers have already been receiving the pre ordered vaccine and can start immunizing the five to 11 age group today,” MDHHS relayed during a Wednesday media briefing.
But are those vaccines actually finding their way to providers?
Turns out, in terms of quantity, there was no hard and fast answer Wednesday.
The state ordered approximately 287,000 doses as part of its first allotment.
Local health departments, hospitals and others across the healthcare spectrum put in orders totaling just over 417,000, according to a count forwarded to 13 On Your Side by MDHHS.
Those doses are shipped directly, which is why the state health department couldn’t yet say whether the entirety of that first allotment had been delivered.
Then, a question of whether parents and guardians will actually agree to get their children vaccinated.
Survey data cited by MDHHS showed 46 to 60 percent of parents would sign on.
“I know parents want to make the right choice for their children and protect them, but vaccination is not just a personal choice,” Veronica McNally, founder of I Vaccinate, explained. “Your decision affects the health of all children in your community, including your own.”
“We’ve seen over the past handful of months that pediatric illnesses and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have increased dramatically,” Dr. Olivero related.
But curbing vaccine hesitancy means first tackling the misconception that children are immune. The data tells a different story: 1.1 million child cases have been added to the tally over the last six weeks, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Children right now are bearing the brunt of COVID-19 infections throughout the country, but even more importantly, in West Michigan,” Olivero said.
In terms of any of those distribution concerns, the situation remained in flux Wednesday.
While Spectrum got 300, U of M Health West told 13 On Your Side it had received 1,200, with another shipment expected next week.
Mercy Saint Mary’s Grand Rapids received 1,200, which was the maximum order size, while its location in Muskegon received 300.
The expectation was that any delays would be resolved quickly.
It’s important to note that this is a specific supply for the specific age group.
Pharmacies and hospitals can’t simply cut pediatric doses from the adult vials— it’s packaged and shipped that way just to be sure there are no mix-ups that could have been resolved in the planning process.
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