The anticipation of the COVID-19 vaccine has prompted questions regarding how it will be distributed throughout Genesee County. Genesee County Health Department has a Memorandum of Understanding with 8 schools in Genesee County partnering for the utilization of their facilities for public health emergencies including, but not limited to, vaccine distribution. Current planning includes the use of these sites to provide drive through vaccination clinics. We are also looking at the possibility of providing clinics in other locations as well as the schools, to ensure all residents of the County are accommodated.
The COVID-19 vaccines that are scheduled to be distributed here in Genesee County are currently only approved for persons 18 years of age and older. The vaccine will be distributed to the public in phases of priority, determined by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) and Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP.) The immunization department will be following standard protocol for distributing the vaccine which includes: written consent by the person 18 years of age and older, along with providing the required information about the vaccine and any side effects that may occur.
The Genesee County Health Department wants to ensure the public that when dealing with vaccines children are eligible for, standard protocols including the requirement to have a parent or guardian accompany the child, along with written consent by the parent or guardian, are always followed.
As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to the Health Department, we will post the times and locations of clinics along with the priority group that will be eligible for receiving the vaccine at that time. Information on the COVID 19 vaccines and how it will be distributed by priority groups is available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html.
For additional information on COVID-19 and guidelines you can visit www.gchd.us/covid-19.
