The COVID-19 vaccination program is underway in the Three Rivers Health District, but its director, Dr. Richard Williams, said the administrative process involved is proving to be more complex than flu vaccination campaigns.
In his weekly brief for area residents, Williams said that vaccine recipients must be registered and must answer a series of health-related questions to make sure criteria for safely receiving the vaccine are met.
Recipients must also be counseled on possible vaccine side effects and must receive information concerning the CDC’s V-safe smartphone-based tool for providing ongoing check-ins and feedback to the CDC, he said. Then, after receiving the vaccine, the recipient must remain on-site for 15 minutes to be monitored for immediate side effects or complications.
The health department is now collaborating with Riverside to vaccinate EMS providers and community-based health care workers who aren’t affiliated with a healthcare system, said Williams. This is part of ...