Posts tagged: Support Inc

To all Support, Inc. Staff, Providers, and Families;

Colorado continues to work through Phase 1A of the State’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan and hopes to have the majority of Phase 1A health care workers vaccinated by January 15th. Over the last week, Colorado updated the states COVID-19 vaccine plan. The updated plan expands who is included in Phase 1B to include Coloradoan’s age 70 or older, first responders, front line essential workers and continuity of state government. This week, the State started administering vaccinations to individuals in Phase 1B. We have not received an update on which Phase constituents of Support, Inc. will be eligible for the vaccine however, individuals, providers or family members who are age 70 or older are eligible to get the vaccine at this time.

If someone you support is 70 years of age or over, they are eligible to get the vaccine now. The first step is to contact the individual’s primary care physician to discuss the vaccine and scheduling the two-step vaccine process. Attached is a plain language informational document about the COVID-19 vaccine that was developed by and for people with intellectual disabilities. Vaccine availability varies based on the federal supply and distribution throughout the state. Colorado expects to continue to get weekly shipments of the vaccine.

Vaccine FAQ’s:

Q: Will I be charged for the cost of the vaccine?

A: No, the vaccine will not cost you anything. Medicare, Medicaid, CHP+ and private insurances are required to cover the cost of the vaccine. In addition, uninsured Coloradoan’s will also have access to a free vaccine.

Q: Do I still need to wear a mask and physically distance after receiving the vaccine?

A: Yes. It takes time after getting both steps of the vaccine for your body to respond and make enough antibodies to protect you. This could take up to one to two weeks after your last dose. Current data suggests that it is possible that someone who has been vaccinated against COVID-19 may still have mild to asymptomatic infection or spread the virus to others. So, it is important to continue to take precautions by wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.

Q: Should I get a COVID-19 test to see if I am infected before getting the vaccine?

A: No. The CDC does not recommend getting tested to see if you are infected before getting the vaccine. If you do not have symptoms and have not been recently exposed to COVID-19, there is no need to get a test before deciding whether to get vaccinated.

Q: I already had COVID-19 and have recovered; do I still need to get the vaccine?

A: Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are likely safe and effective in people who have recovered from a previous COVID-19 infection. The Advisory Committee recommends waiting at least 90 days after recovering from COVID-19 before getting the vaccine. It is currently unknown how long natural immunity lasts after recovering from COVID-19 and, early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long as cases of reinfection have been reported.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at Laura.Viers@supportinc.com. Be sure to never miss our correspondences; follow us on Facebook, be sure you are on email and newsletter distribution lists and continue to check out our website for on-going updated about COVID-19 and other happenings around the organization.

Thank you,

Laura Viers

To all Support, Inc. staff, providers, and families;

As the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our lives over the last 9 months, there has been a lot of talk, questions and hopes for a COVID-19 vaccination. An FDA (Food and Drug Administration) advisory committee met on Thursday December 10^th to review the Pfizer vaccine. The committee resulted in a 77% “yes” vote that based on the totality of evidence, the benefit of the Pfizer vaccine outweighs the risk for use in individuals age 16 and older. This was the last step in the process for Pfizer before the FDA approves emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine. Over the weekend, the FDA accepted the committee’s recommendation and approved the vaccine under the Emergency Use Authorization. His is a pivotal moment in the pandemic as the first vaccine being approved for use in the United States. While we do not have all the answers, we wanted to provide some information on what we do know at this point.

Q: What is an Emergency Use Authorization?

A: An EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) is a way to facilitate the availability and use of things like vaccines during public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Under EUA the FDA may allow an unapproved medical product to prevent serious life-threatening diseases or conditions. Manufacturers submit an EUA request to the FDA to be evaluated and to determine if statutory criteria are met. You can read more about Emergency use Authorizations here.

Q: When can I get the vaccine?

A: This week, Colorado released a 3 phased roll out plan for the vaccine. Below is a description and timeline for each phase.

Q: Where can I get the vaccine?

A: Once a vaccine has been approved for use by the FDA, Phase 1 recipients will receive the vaccine through their employer (such as hospitals), local health agencies or through the Federal Government’s pharmacy partnership for long term care programs. The Pfizer vaccine requires ulta low temperature storage (-60 to -80 Celsius). Colorado has identified 24 locations with the ability to store the vaccine at this temperature and has purchased an additional 10 ulta low temperature freezers. The state will release information for phase 2 and phase 3 vaccination locations in the future.

Q: Will there only be one vaccine option?

A: At this time, the Pfizer vaccine has been approved.  Moderna has also applied to the FDA for authorization through the Emergency use Authorization. There are 3 additional companies working on clinical trials for a vaccination. It is likely individual states and counties will get different vaccines based on manufacturing and distribution from each company.

News of a vaccine is encouraging. At the moment constituents of Support, Inc. may be eligible to receive the vaccine during Phase 2.  This may change and as we learn more information, we will send additional updates. While we all anticipate the vaccine, it continues to be important we all take steps to keep ourselves, our families and individual we support safe. This includes, wearing a face covering/ mask when we are in public, washing hands with soap and water or using hand sanitizer frequently, minimizing contact with people we don’t live with and when we do have to have contact with people who don’t live in our home, staying 6 feet apart.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Laura at Laura.Viers@supportinc.com