Covid Vaccine Distribution

[harllee]

Wow thats incredible - an app to notify you when you are in a Covid area. I never heard of such a thing.

We have a similar app here in NC (SlowCovidNC)--I think many states have it, I bet your state does too. I downloaded the app on my phone many months ago but I have never received a notification that I was exposed to Covid. Of course I have not been many public places.

 

[camfused]

...
Oh, about NC group 4. Remember I was going to eat some cake and pie to get my BMI up to 30? Turns out that I instead decided to measure my height. I haven't measured my height in 30 years. Due to father time and back surgery, I lost a 1/2 inch. Boom! Instant BMI of 30. No weight gain necessary...

It is my understanding that you just have to exceed a BMI of 25.00000 to be considered "overweight" by the CDC criteria that is being used for NC group 4. DW is 25.09...ding, ding, we have a winner. I am north of that number.

 

[Alan]

BMI is a criteria in the UK as well and recently a young man was offered the vaccine as his BMI on his medical records was 28k

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-56111209

A man in his 30s with no underlying health conditions was offered a Covid vaccine after an NHS error mistakenly listed him as just 6.2cm in height.
Liam Thorp was told he qualified for the jab because his measurements gave him a body mass index of 28,000.

 

[Ronstar]

They rolled out the app last Fall and I knew that if you had been in close contact with other covid-positive persons with the app for an accumulated 15 minutes it would alert, and I also knew that if you had been to a cafe or restaurant or pub that later recorded a positive case then you would get alerted, but that relies on the fact that you check into each place by opening the app and pointing your phone at the QR code outside each place you are going to enter. (The greeter always checks that you have done this, or gets you to physically sign in)


It is a small step to surmise that when a business has a positive Covid test recorded against it their premises are tagged, such that when an individual has had a positive Covid test and is told to isolate at home that their home is tagged as a Covid hotspot. I have just checked my NHS app and it does not use location settings, unlike many other apps, and states specifically that it will not track locations and all data is stored anonymously.

I now think the engineer misunderstood or misremembered the phone call, and that someone in the household also had the app on a phone and that is what triggered the alert. I've talked to others, such as my sister, who have tested positive and the moment they enter the positive test unique code they are sent then the phones of their family members in their house immediately alert them.

You guys are far more advanced than those of us across the pond from you. No QR codes or sign-ins in parts of the US I've been to. It's like the Wild West here.

 

[Alan]

You guys are far more advanced than those of us across the pond from you. No QR codes or sign-ins in parts of the US I've been to. It's like the Wild West here.

For much of last year the country was in 5 different tiers of lockdown, county by county or groups of counties with different rules depending on which tier was in effect. A nice feature of the app is that you can enter the post code (zip code) of where you are or are planning to travel and the app will inform you what tier it is in and include a link to list the rules in effect for that area.

It was very useful when we went on a vacation to Northumberland last September, staying in a rented cottage. It was in a different tier to the one we traveled from, but all the cafes, restaurants and attractions were still open. Even the attractions, such as castles, had QR code’s to scan on entry.

 

[Ronstar]

We have a similar app here in NC (SlowCovidNC)--I think many states have it, I bet your state does too. I downloaded the app on my phone many months ago but I have never received a notification that I was exposed to Covid. Of course I have not been many public places.

University of Illinois has such an app for university staff and students.

But the general Illinois public - nothing I've found - Our governor was "pondering" an app back in November. https://newschannel20.com/news/local/state-officials-torn-over-covid-19-contact-tracing-apps

 

[Alan]

University of Illinois has such an app for university staff and students.

But the general Illinois public - nothing I've found - Our governor was "pondering" an app back in November. https://newschannel20.com/news/local/state-officials-torn-over-covid-19-contact-tracing-apps

The NHS app is based on the Apple/Google Exposure Notification system. (GAEN)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_Notification

 

[explanade]

Wow thats incredible - an app to notify you when you are in a Covid area. I never heard of such a thing.

If you have an iPhone with iOS 14, you can turn on covid tracing and alerts.

No additional app necessary.

https://9to5mac.com/2020/12/07/how-to-turn-on-off-covid-19-contact-tracing-iphone-ios/

 

[LRDave]

That’s just bananas.

Bee-ay-en-ay-en-ay-ess..........

 

[Ronstar]

The NHS app is based on the Apple/Google Exposure Notification system. (GAEN)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_Notification

If you have an iPhone with iOS 14, you can turn on covid tracing and alerts.

No additional app necessary.

https://9to5mac.com/2020/12/07/how-to-turn-on-off-covid-19-contact-tracing-iphone-ios/

Thanks - I tried it and it doesn't work here in Illinois - "Exposure Notifications have not been turned on for your region by your public health authority". That figures.

 

[JoeWras]

Like harllee, I've been using SlowCovidNC. No notifications. Not expecting many since I've mostly stayed in my hole.

 

[Retch The Grate]

Sadness, SF just emailed that I'm eligible to sign up for a vaccine since my BMI is over 30, but we just finished our move to San Mateo County (I turned in the keys to our rental house in SF this morning), so... :/

 

[harllee]

Sadness, SF just emailed that I'm eligible to sign up for a vaccine since my BMI is over 30, but we just finished our move to San Mateo County (I turned in the keys to our rental house in SF this morning), so... :/

So why can you not return to SF and get your shots there? Here in NC people are driving all over the state to get the vaccine, sometimes hundreds of miles.

 

[SteveNU]

Connecticut is now open for everyone 55 and above as well as a few other select groups. This Friday they are lowering the age limit to 45. And on April 5th it will be available to the remaining population age 16 and above.

 

[Koolau]

It took FOREVER to finish the 75 and up group - probably because they included just about everybody with a "special" situation (no, not health, but what they call "front line" which is debatable - well, I take that back. No debate was allowed, but that's another story.)

SO, just a week ago, they dropped it to 70 and up (us) and already, they're down to 65 and up starting this week. It looks like things may be finally opening up. YMMV

 

[Amethyst]

Are the non-poor-people taking vaccines that the poor people were trying to get? Then I'm outraged on the poor people's behalf.

Are the non-poor-people taking vaccines that the poor people declined?
Then the local residents have nothing to complain about.

Even in SoCal this requires a certain moral flexibility if a non-poor person wants to take advantage. Over the past week or so we have witnessed the spectacle of lots of fancy cars parked all around one of the poorer neighborhoods in south Los Angeles near a clinic known to have extra doses of the vaccine. The owners of said vehicles - very evidently not residents of the area - line up waiting for the extra shots available at the end of the day, and then scuttle back to their fancy cars and hasten away to their better neighborhoods. Local residents are none too pleased.

Though I am trying to "vaccine hunt" a bit, I can't make myself go to that extent. Moral qualms, how quaint.

 

[Gumby]

Connecticut is now open for everyone 55 and above as well as a few other select groups. This Friday they are lowering the age limit to 45. And on April 5th it will be available to the remaining population age 16 and above.

I watched the governor's press conference yesterday. He said that 31% of the population 16 and older have received their first dose, which is right around 1 million people. That leaves about 2 people million to go. However, we know that not everyone will take the vaccine. The take-up rate for those 75+, who have been eligible the longest, is 77%. For 65-74, it is 71% and slowly climbing. If we assume that, as a whole, the take-up rate will be 75%, then that is 1.5 million more first doses.

This site https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/ suggests that the state is running at about 30k doses per day, with a 2/3 - 1/3 split between 1st and 2d doses, so ~20k 1st doses per day. Governor Lamont said that within 2 weeks, Connecticut's vaccine allocation of 1st doses from the federal government would increase from ~140k per week to ~200k per week, and he has previously said that we can handle as many doses as they can send us. So that should allow them to give out, say, 30k first doses per day, and it will take 50 days to get through 1.5 million people. Which means that pretty much every adult in Connecticut who chooses to be vaccinated will have their first dose by about May 5th. Add four weeks for the second doses and we should have the job substantially done by mid-June.

Then it is just a matter of convincing the reluctant and, once the drug companies have finished their testing regimes, vaccinating the children.

I am feeling hopeful.

 

[JoeWras]

Are the non-poor-people taking vaccines that the poor people were trying to get? Then I'm outraged on the poor people's behalf.

Are the non-poor-people taking vaccines that the poor people declined?
Then the local residents have nothing to complain about.

In NC we're seeing poor counties with poor uptake. This is why the Range Rover drivers are ending up near the chicken farms: the slots are available.

I mentioned earlier that NC has a somewhat silent parallel distribution going on, specifically targeting certain groups, many considered "under-served." My RN friend says some of those targeted clinics go well, while others don't. It depends on a multitude of factors as to their success. These are invitation only and are not widely publicized specifically so that the slots can't be sucked up.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Are the non-poor-people taking vaccines that the poor people were trying to get? Then I'm outraged on the poor people's behalf.

Are the non-poor-people taking vaccines that the poor people declined?
Then the local residents have nothing to complain about.

This

 

[Amethyst]

What am I doing wrong?

I keep reading "things are opening up" and everyone on Facebook has been bragging about getting their shots. It's getting very frustrating that I can't seem to get one.

I was able to get my husband his COVID shots via the county health department, where I also registered back in, I think, December. They have not contacted me. I have no way of knowing where I might be on the wait list.

I have gone to the COVID vaccine web sites for all the participating pharmacies in Florida, searching for availability in a one-county radius (all counties bordering mine). This includes Publix, Winn-Dixie, Walmart, Sam's Club, and CVS. I selected the stores which said they had vaccine available (not all do).

The sign-up field asks if you are eligible (I am) and your city and state. I have entered every town within a 50-mile radius. Even though the site says "vaccine available," every response has been "No vaccine available."

What could I be doing wrong?

 

[Amethyst]

Can you blame them? Yes, it is vulching; but vultures have to live. We are all trying to survive. As long as they are not literally shoving the chicken workers out of the way - that is, they are only getting vaccines with the clinic about to close for the day - I cannot see anything wrong with what they are doing.

Note that I have nothing against special clinics for "underserved" communities, nor against making these clinics invitation-only if that's what it takes to get them vaccinated.

In NC we're seeing poor counties with poor uptake. This is why the Range Rover drivers are ending up near the chicken farms: the slots are available.

.

 

[Fermion]

What financial risk is someone taking on by waiting their turn for vaccine vs actively trying to get it somewhere?

If you get unlucky and have to be hospitalized, what are the bills you might face? $15,000 in deductibles?

IMO the government should cover the expenses of a COVID sickness if they want people to wait for a vaccine while everyone is taking off their mask.

 

[mpeirce]

Just got my 1st Moderna jab this morning.

Ohio opened up to 50+ last Thursday. I checked my county website that morning and was able to sign up for today's appointment. On the way out this morning I signed up for jab #2 in 14 days.

The location had about 7 vaccinations "stations" with an intake area for filling out paperwork and another area with chairs for the required 15 minutes afterglow area.

They had lots of people there to help out. Pretty much a well oiled machine. I was impressed considering I'm in a smallish rural county and this was the first day they were using this site.

Thought it was mildly interesting that they didn't check any id or insurance card (DW's experience was they did that at the CVS). They just asked my name and checked me off the list.

Also, two weeks ago DW got her 2nd jab at a CVS drug store. I left my phone number with the pharmacist who said they'd call if they had left over vaccines. I got a call yesterday asking if I wanted to come in since they had a leftover dose. I didn't because I had today's appointment already and they said they would have no trouble finding someone else to use it.

 

[JoeWras]

Can you blame them? Yes, it is vulching; but vultures have to live. We are all trying to survive. As long as they are not literally shoving the chicken workers out of the way - that is, they are only getting vaccines with the clinic about to close for the day - I cannot see anything wrong with what they are doing.

Note that I have nothing against special clinics for "underserved" communities, nor against making these clinics invitation-only if that's what it takes to get them vaccinated.

On top of that, the county health directors don't want their allotments taken away from the state because they are being directed to achieve a certain percentage vaccinated. So, while they are working hard on publicizing and convincing the locals to get the shot, they are happy to assure their allotment is used. We've had a few local ring county directors get real close to saying "ya'll come down now, hear" without saying it. One director was ignoring the Governor and publicly saying everyone in group 4 can come (the current rule is only partially group 4).

I'm past the point of feeling guilty. There are huge efforts to reach the underserved in our state. There is only so much that can be done up to the point of people presenting their arms.

 

[Gumby]

Just got my 1st Moderna jab this morning.

Ohio opened up to 50+ last Thursday. I checked my county website that morning and was able to sign up for today's appointment. On the way out this morning I signed up for jab #2 in 14 days.
....

(emphasis added)

You may need to rebook the 2nd dose. The recommended time between Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses is 28 days.https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/moderna/index.html