Coronavirus Vaccine
Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Care’s blog- coronavirus vaccine. In Beyond Primary Care blogs we highlight healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, and how membership for care works! Beyond Primary Care is an insurance free, membership based family medicine clinic. Beyond Primary Care is the highest rated Direct Primary Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne counties giving families and employers peace of mind about healthcare costs by providing affordable and accessible primary care services.
The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being.
In this blog post, I wanted to update my patients and any prospective patients on the…
Coronavirus Vaccine
I have been receiving many questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, how it will be distributed and how to get it. The first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine will be going to hospitals and centers able to facilitate the challenging -100 degree storage requirements of this vaccine.
A few weeks back I called all x5 of my medical suppliers and not one had any knowledge of Covid-vaccines being able to purchase for individual clinics. The State of Michigan and NOT individual medical practices will be distributing and determining prioritization for vaccine administration.
Further, the State of Michigan has a multiple stage distribution plan prioritizing nursing home residents (who make up a sizable portion of the Covid mortality) and frontline healthcare workers (EMS, ER and ICU nurses and doctors, etc.). If you are one of these, please discuss with your hospital employer or place of residence how they plan to distribute/administer the vaccine
Stages of Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution
Once the State of Michigan moves beyond the first stages, CVS and Walmart have agreed to participate in the administration of the vaccine to the remainder of the population starting with high-risk people. It is hard to say with certainty when this will occur as it will be dependent on the speed with which the vaccine can be manufactured and distributed. It will likely be several weeks to several months before we reach that point.
Once clarity is provided as to how to get the vaccine and the process needed, I will share that with all of you so that those who want the vaccine and for whom the vaccine is appropriate can get it.
Please be aware that I- nor any other doctor- does not have control or influence over this process. It is being determined at a State and Federal level. But, I will do our best to assist all of you in navigating this process as it starts to unfold.
Please see the specific State of Michigan vaccine distribution plan here.
Reasons to NOT get the Covid vaccine?
Truthfully the only individuals who should not get the Covid shot are children less than 16 years of age or people who experience a severe (life threatening) allergy to with other vaccines.
People with a cough or cold can still get the Covid shot.
Covid shots given may cause injection site soreness and pain, redness, swelling, fever, malaise and muscle aches- all of which are usually mild and go away on their own.
Thank you for reading.
Dr. Jeff O’Boyle with Beyond Primary Care
