TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Coffey County Health Department is preparing to distribute COVID-19 vaccine before the end of this month for phase 2 of the state plan; however, none of the 4 nurses will administer it.
In a call with 13 News Wednesday (January 13), the administrator of the health department, Lindsay Payer, says that neither she nor her staff feel comfortable administering the vaccine. Instead, the county health department will hire at least one external nurse to administer the vaccine and possibly other providers. They will use COVID funds to cover them. Payer says these are personal decisions made individually and not without considerable thought.
“I will tell you that we will have to hire staff from outside our staff to administer that vaccine, because my staff is not comfortable with that,” Payer told commissioners at their Jan. 4 meeting. “It’s a new technology. I’ve never seen him before. It was only studied in 45 people before it was approved, and the companies that made the vaccine don’t have to … all the responsibility disappeared from them. So if there is something wrong with the vaccine, it does not go back to them. This is widely known and is somewhat annoying for a nurse who has to put this in people’s bodies. So we’ll find nurses who are willing to do that. I’m not. My staff is not at this time. ”
However, it is clear that the county medical officer, Dr. Jeff Sloyer, does not share the concerns of health department staff. At the county commission meeting last Monday (January 11), he told the commissioners:
“Both vaccines have been studied very well,” Solyer told commissioners. “The one in Pfizer had over 40,000 people in their process, and the one in Moderna had 30,000 people in their process, so I think that’s good.” Sloyer told commissioners that the January 6 meeting had caused a great deal of confusion and response on social media.
As of January 8, the weekly update of Coffey County had 27 active cases of COVID – 12 new cases and 16 recoveries.
In a phone call on Wednesday morning (January 13th), Payer told 13 News that this is a personal decision on the part of each staff member and is not meant to send any message – for or against the administration of the vaccine. She insists that they do not want to be a barrier to anyone receiving the vaccine and are moving forward with the implementation of a plan to ensure that all residents of Coffey County who want to be vaccinated during phase 2 can be. Members aged 65 and over will finally be able to receive the COVID vaccine, probably by the end of this month. The health department has started a waiting list – one that since Monday’s committee meeting has grown to more than 200 people in just a few short days. Payer says they have spoken to the Coffey health system, indicating that they may be willing to assist the health department in administering the vaccine. In addition, Payer says that, like the county health department, local pharmacies have also asked KDHE to administer the vaccine. She believes there will be no shortage of places or opportunities for Coffey County residents to receive the vaccine.
Payer points out that it is not uncommon for county health departments to contract vaccination services with external providers. She told 13 News that this is not “new, not unexpected” and “their choice as licensed professionals” to decide whether or not to administer a vaccine.
“Health departments across the state are considered vaccination experts,” Payer said in a phone call to 13 News. “We know how long it takes to develop a good vaccine and the study that goes into it. I did not make this decision easily. We made this decision using the information we have. We want to maintain our integrity. Nurses are known as the most trusted profession and we want to maintain that trust. We want the public to make the best decision for them. ”
Last Monday, Dr Sloyer told commissioners that the health department had worked hard on the public vaccination plan. They have applied to the Kansas Department of Health and the Environment to receive the COVID vaccine and maintain a registration list for residents. In addition, due to possible liability issues, the health department will ask those receiving the vaccine to sign a waiver. Dr. Solyer told commissioners that they would receive the Moderna vaccine. Because patients need to be monitored for a short time after the vaccine, Coffey County will be set up to administer its public vaccinations at the recreation center. Although he notes that vaccine reactions have been very rare, he will have Epipens and Benadryl in hand with EMS.
At last week’s meeting (January 4), Payer told commissioners that COVID is now part of our daily lives – comparing it to colds and flu.
“I think it’s safe to say that COVID is endemic now in our community,” Payer said. “We know he came to stay. We know it can’t be controlled. It’s a virus. You can’t stop a virus. We still do everything we can, but it is what it is. It will only be part of what we are dealing with now. As a community, we probably need to make some decisions about what that means and how much more resources we can summarize. Knowing he’s here is like the cold or the flu. It’s normal now. That’s exactly it. ”
I contacted Coffey County Medical Officer Dr. Jeff Sloyer, the county commissioner’s administrative assistant, and also a KDHE spokesman for comments on the story.
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