CORONAVIRUS Hub closes as demand for COVID 19 vaccines declines inMontgomery County
2 0 2 1 H E A L T H C A R E E D I T I O N
VACCINATIONS AT A GLANCE
147,000 DOSES were administered from Woodforest Bank Stadium.
Since March 1, more than 400,000 coronavirus vaccine doses have been distributed across Montgomery County.
JUNE 1 Woodforest Bank Stadium hub closed
Hub cost $130,000 per month out of county funds
BY ANDREW CHRISTMAN
Health The Woodlands Hospital, said she is cautiously optimistic moving forward. “The masks are coming o , and our volume is down from what it was,” Pitcher said. “I was so excited people want the vaccine; it is such a blessing to us in health care.” However, the decreased demand raised some concerns among county health o cials. Misti Willingham, public infor- mation o cer for the Montgomery County Public Health District, said May 20 that herd immunity could be di cult to attain. “It is a moving target. Some experts say 60%-80% of the popu- lation will have [to be vaccinated] to have immunity,” Willingham said. “There are those who have protection due to prior infection, but it’s still unknown how long natural immunity lasts ... the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has said three months or so.” During a health care panel at the Greater Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce on May 27, Millsaps said Montgomery County has historically been hesitant about vaccines with only about 32% of the county’s population receiving a u shot annually. As such, he said he planned for 35% of residents to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, which the county had exceeded as of June 14 with 41% of residents age 12 and older fully vaccinated, state data shows. “It’s not for lack of trying, nor is it for lack of availability,” Milsaps said May 27. “We’ve reached pretty much the peak of vaccines in the county.”
Since June 1, coronavirus vaccine distribution across Montgomery County has shifted from a hub- based model to one centered around physicians and clinics as the demand declines. The Montgomery County O ce of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on May 11 announced it would close the hub at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah with OHSEM Executive Director Jason Millsaps citing decreasing demand. As of May 25, Millsaps said about 147,000 vaccines had been adminis- trated from the Woodforest hub since the county took it over March 1. When the county began man- aging the hub, the estimated cost of running the facility was around $130,000 per month, paid for out of county funds. Millsaps said while the hub closed June 1, as of May 26, there were 57 providers around the county receiv- ing and administering coronavirus vaccines, most of which are pharma- cies, hospitals and retail outlets such as Walmart and CVS. Information from the Texas Department of State Health Services stated vaccine allocations no longer needed to be tracked as of May 10. Providers also can order vaccina- tions daily from the DSHS rather than waiting for weekly allocations, which began in late December. The path ahead Ellen Pitcher, vice president of patient services for CHI St. Luke’s
57 providers o er vaccines in Montgomery County*
*AS OF MAY 26
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Vaccine allocations byweek inMontgomery County State and federal allocations of vaccines to Montgomery County dropped in April and were no longer tracked as of early May as o cials reported less demand. Total doses allocated since December Weekly doses allocated
350,000 400,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Cole Kaleta, assistant vice pres- ident of operations and vaccine distribution with Memorial Hermann Health System, said long-term vac- cination e orts are taking the form of grassroots campaigns to reach
underserved populations. “Instead of having patients come to our sites, [we are] making themmore available where they live and where they work,” Kaleta said. Anna Lotz contributed to this report.
Your Luxury Yarn Shop
READY TO SELL? Saddleback Jewelry & Coin FREE Evaluations on Collections Purchasing: Coin Collections - Rings - Jewelry - Silver - Broken or Estate Jewelry &More
With sale of $250 gold or more. Not valid on bullion & coins. $ 20 CASHBONUS
®
1488
208 McCown Street, Suite 100-110 Montgomery, TX 77356 themodernskein.com | 936-436-3615
Research Forest Dr
346-367-9677 • www.saddlebackjewelrycoin.com 5135 FM 1488 Magnolia, TX 77354
2978
21
CONROE MONTGOMERY EDITION • JUNE 2021
Powered by FlippingBook