Since the beginning of this year, Munson Healthcare (MHC) has partnered with northern Michigan primary care practices (both MHC Provider Network and independent) and local health departments to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. As of May 5, MHC has reallocated 24,238 1st doses and 17,206 2nd doses to partnering clinics and health departments. Although there is variation across counties, northern Michigan outpaces the rest of the state in vaccination rates.
COVID-19 vaccine allocation has changed dramatically in the last 10 weeks, however, as the supply now significantly exceeds the demand. We are seeing demand decreases due to vaccine hesitancy and saturation in certain age ranges as many of those who really wanted to get vaccinated already have. Because of this, MHC and local health departments are shifting our focus from mass clinics to small pop-up clinics at convenient and commonly frequented locations. We are also offering the Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine as some people have chosen to wait for the 1-dose, non-mRNA vaccine.
More than 68% of Munson Healthcare employees have been vaccinated and we’re working to remove barriers for unvaccinated employees. For example, we had a pop-up J&J vaccine clinic last week for employees and credentialed providers in Traverse City.
On the national front, Pfizer has received an EUA from the FDA for children ages 12-15. Pfizer is also seeking full FDA approval for ages 18 and up, but no timeline on when that may occur.
We are asking ourselves how best to allocate the 3 COVID-19 vaccines most effectively. A significant way we’re doing this is by partnering with physician offices. We have available doses of all 3 vaccines, so please reach out to us if you’re interested in either becoming a new vaccine site or if you’re an existing site wanting to increase your allocation. For new offices, we can provide a toolkit on best practices to store, prepare, and administer the vaccine so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Employed practices should contact Ellen Smith; independent offices can contact our Physician Liaisons Renae Fogarty or Evan Gray. We have also reached out to participating practices to gauge interest in receiving the J&J vaccine.
We would like to send a big THANK YOU to the 43 partnering practices who are administering the COVID-19 vaccine in their offices. COVID-19 vaccine distribution has proven to be a great collaboration with practices and health departments. We really appreciate your time and dedication in helping getting our communities vaccinated.