Vaccination events planned for those eligible
From: Cape Gazette
Delaware is shifting its focus this week to administering second shots to 3,800 people who received their first shots in January.
For people who received a first shot at the Dover Division of Motor Vehicles Jan. 16-18, or at Salesianum School on Jan. 18, officials said Curative will offer events Feb. 15-19 at Delaware Technical Community College campuses in Georgetown, Dover, and Wilmington. Registration will be done directly with Curative and individuals will be required to show proof of their first dose vaccination date when they arrive on site. Only Moderna vaccines will be administered at the Curative/DTCC second dose sites, officials said.
A second vaccination site will held by the Federal Emergency Management Agency beginning Feb. 20 for several days at the Dover International Speedway for people to receive their second shots. This will include people who received their first shots at the Delaware City DMV Jan. 22-24 or at the Georgetown DMV Jan. 23 or 24. Individuals will be required to show proof of their first dose vaccination date.Pfizer and Moderna will be available at these events. Scheduling has not been confirmed for these events, and is contingent on FEMA approval of the state’s request. Additional information is forthcoming.
Delawareans who have lost their vaccination card should email their full name and date of birth to vaccine@delaware.gov. For those without email access, call DPH at 1-833-643-1715.Anyone who registers but cannot show proof they received their first dose during the January events will be turned away.
The Division of Public Health’s Community Health Services Sectionwill partner with community organizations to deliver second doses to low-income seniors who received their first dose at Salesianum School on Jan. 18 and may have mobility challenges or other barriers preventing them from attending a large event. Those individuals will be reached through community organizations.
As it becomes available, second dose registration or scheduling information will be listed on de.gov/getmyvaccine and will be emailed to all eligible individuals the state has e-mail addresses for. As of Feb. 8, Delaware and its partners had administered more than 126,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer. Nearly 13 percent of Delaware’s population has received the first shot.
Delaware is currently in Phase 1B of its COVID-19 vaccination program, which includes Delawareans aged 65 and older and certain frontline workers. Learn more at de.gov/covidvaccine.
“We’re continuing to press forward with our goal of vaccinating as many Delawareans as possible, as quickly as possible,” said Gov. John Carney in a press release. “Supply of the COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government remains our biggest challenge. That’s why we’re focused this week on second doses, especially for vulnerable Delaware seniors. We have the capacity to increase vaccinations as federal supply allows.”
Due to limited supply of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the large number of Phase 1B-eligible Delawareans who have not been vaccinated, officials said they do not expect to open eligibility to all Phase 1C individuals on March 1, as the state had originally planned. DPH intends to begin vaccinating the most vulnerable, Phase 1C-eligible Delawareans as close to March 1 as possible, depending on vaccine supply. As of Feb. 9, the state’s vaccine webpage showed 11,985 doses left in the state’s supply.
“Delivering second doses and first doses at the same time with limited supply of doses every week is a challenge, which is why we are targeting these Curative appointments and our partnership with FEMA to address individuals who received the first doses at our large events in January,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “As vaccine supply from the federal government increases, we expect it will become easier to receive first and second doses at pharmacies or from medical providers.”