Good afternoon NMC community,
As the COVID-19 vaccination effort begins to ramp up in our region, we want to follow up on some frequently asked questions about vaccine availability for higher education employees in Grand Traverse County.
While decisions about phases are made at the state level, each county also has some discretion about how to interpret the details for vaccine distribution. Grand Traverse County health leaders are currently including K-12 employees in the 1B vaccination phase, but NOT including higher education employees as a prioritized group in this phase. Other counties in Michigan may be taking a different approach based on the availability of vaccines in their areas. Vaccine supplies are very limited right now and local leaders feel this is the best way to meet the most urgent needs of the region.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging all residents to develop a plan to get vaccinated. Residents should know which phase they belong to and continue to wear masks and practice social distancing.
Michigan vaccinations phases are as follows:
- Phase 1A: Paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials and are unable to work from home as well as residents in long term care facilities.
- Phase 1B: Persons 65 years of age or older and frontline essential workers in critical infrastructure.
- Phase 1C: Individuals 16 years of age or older at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 infection and some other essential workers whose position impacts life, safety and protection during the COVID-19 response.
- Phase 2: Individuals 16 years of age or older.
These prioritizations may change as more information on vaccine effectiveness and additional vaccination products become available. Right now higher education employees are included in Phase 2. Unless an individual qualifies for an earlier phase, the majority of NMC employees and students will likely not qualify for the vaccine until after the spring semester. The college is also helping prepare for the vaccination process by getting a better understanding of how many employees are interested in receiving a vaccine. This information will help the county respond faster if more vaccine becomes available sooner. Please watch for an upcoming survey in your email inbox.
Reaching a 70% vaccination rate of our population is the fastest way for our society to return to normal, but this vaccination process is a highly complex and rapidly evolving undertaking for public health leaders. The entire vaccination process statewide may take 9-12 months.
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine in Grand Traverse County please visit GTCountyCOVID19.com for more information including scheduling and current vaccine phase.
NMC is proud to support the vaccination effort in our region by partnering with the Grand Traverse Health Department to host a mass vaccination clinic at the Hagerty Center through at least April. This facility has been widely praised for its efficiency as a clinic site. The GTCHD says they are now able to vaccinate the same amount of people in one day that they previously vaccinated in a week. We should all be proud of the college’s role in this important work to support our community.
Thank you for your continued patience and adherence to NMC’s safety protocols including social distancing and wearing masks. We will continue to update you with new information as it becomes available.
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NMC Public Relations