Public Health – Page 12 – Tarrant County Physician Online

Stop Six neighborhood gets expanded access to COVID-19 vaccine

A vaccine distribution site is now open at the Brighter Outlook Center at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 4910 Dunbar St. in Stop Six.

This vaccination site is a partnership between Tarrant County, Tarrant County Public Health, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center to bring vaccinations to underserved communities. In addition to vaccines, the clinic will provide outreach and education to the Stop Six community.

To access the vaccinations, people must be registered through the Tarrant County Public Health Department. Those without internet access can call the hotline at 817-248-6299.

To assist residents in underserved neighborhoods with the registration process, there will be a pop-up vaccine registration event through March 25 at Tarrant County College South Campus, 5301 Circle Drive, in the Music Building. The event is open from 3-7 p.m. and is sponsored by Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks.

The Texas Department of State Health Services announced this week that all adults will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas beginning March 29.

Additional clinics coming to underserved areas

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth has contracted with OptumServe, a national health care services business, to help expand access to the COVID-19 vaccine into underserved and hard-to-reach neighborhoods in Tarrant County. Besides the Stop Six clinic, additional sites in north and west Fort Worth also are under consideration.

“OptumServe has a proven track record in end-to-end COVID-19 vaccine administration,” said Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams, HSC chief strategy officer. “Together, we will take a data-driven approach to expanding access to the vaccine in hard-to-reach communities and, importantly, build a relationship of trust and understanding with the people who live there.”

The contract is part of an agreement between HSC and Tarrant County to expand access to the vaccine and overcome vaccine hesitancy. HSC recently unveiled to Tarrant County Commissioners a plan to identity potential vaccination sites, promote registration and provide information to people who may be reluctant to get vaccinated. HSC also is forming partnerships with community leaders familiar with those neighborhoods to serve as voices of trust and build relationships.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 03/23/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 249,418

COVID-19 related deaths: 3226

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 239,433

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Tuesday, March 23, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

With vaccine supply increasing, use online portal to make appointments

COVID-19 vaccination clinics are being added at additional locations across Tarrant County, and officials are encouraging residents to register online for an appointment.

Tarrant County Public Health maintains an online portal that allows eligible residents to easily register for a no-cost vaccine for residents with or without health insurance. Tarrant County Public Health will determine if you qualify for a vaccination and then send an email, text message or phone message regarding upcoming appointments.

Quantities of the coronavirus vaccine are expected to increase over the coming weeks as manufacturing and distribution ramp up. Residents are encouraged to preregister on the website now so that Tarrant County and its partners can better plan for and distribute the vaccine.

Currently, anyone 50 and older, as well as school and licensed child care personnel, are eligible to receive a vaccination. Anyone more than 18 years old with chronic health conditions is also eligible. The Texas Department of State Health Services has information on the criteria used for vaccination priority on their website. You can also find a list of other vaccination locations throughout the state on their website. It is anticipated that everyone will be eligible very soon, so even if you are not currently eligible, it’s acceptable to register now.

Fort Worth Health Officer and Code Compliance Director Brandon Bennett emphasized that people should not visit one of the clinic sites without an appointment. “By registering on the Tarrant County portal, it not only gets your name in the queue for the vaccine, it also helps us plan for future locations for vaccinations,” Bennett said.

People who show up without having used the online portal to make an appointment will be turned away, he said.

Learn more about the vaccine process in Tarrant County. The City of Fort Worth website provides additional information about the vaccination process and other providers in the community.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 03/18/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 248,317

COVID-19 related deaths: 3160

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 237,427

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Thursday, March 18, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 03/16/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 247,779

COVID-19 related deaths: 3138

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 236,940

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

*These data are provisional and are subject to change at any time.

*Deaths and recovered cases are included in total COVID-19 positive cases.*

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 03/09/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 245,629

COVID-19 related deaths: 3028

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 232,733

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

Call to Action: Tell Us Your Worst Prior Authorization Stories ASAP

The vast majority of Texas physicians agree that the prior authorization process is burdening your practices and hurting your patients. Now is the time to tell your story.

TMA is lobbying on your behalf this legislative sessions. Equip them with your nightmare prior authorization stories so they can tell legislators the real, serious complaints of their constituents.

Please submit your stories via TMA’s secure email port al as soon as possible.

“Physicians already know all too well the burdens and harm that can occur when insurance company impose prior authorization requirements,” TMA President Diana L. Fite, MD, said. “Our lawmakers need to do more to make sure our patients get the medicines, tests, and treatments that they need, when they need it.”

Share your stories to defend your patients and your profession.

A reminder as you submit your story: It is important for you to ensure that your submission complies with state and federal laws, including, as applicable, the HIPAA privacy rule. HIPAA’s safe harbor list of 18 de-identification requirements is available here.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 03/02/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 243,067

COVID-19 related deaths: 2897

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 225,301

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Tuesday, March 2, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

Tarrant County COVID-19 Activity – 02/27/21

COVID-19 Positive cases: 241,005

COVID-19 related deaths: 2841

Recovered COVID-19 cases: 220,726*

Data from Tarrant County Public Heath’s (TCPH) report of COVID-19 activity in Tarrant County, updated Saturday, February 27, 2021. Find more COVID-19 information from TCPH here.

Get your Flu Vaccine

by Catherine Colquitt, MD

This piece was originally published in the January/February issue of the Tarrant County Physician. You can read find the full magazine here.

In the midst of the worst pandemic in over a hundred years, it’s easy to overlook vaccine-preventable seasonal influenza.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of December 28, 2020, COVID-19 has already accounted for 336,761 deaths and 19,297,396 cases in the U.S. since its first appearance in early 2020. Tarrant County has reported more than 135,793 confirmed cases (TCPH data) and 1,425 deaths so far (https://covid.cdc.gov.covid-data-tracker). The current percent positivity (percent positive tests/all tests performed) for Tarrant County is a staggering 17 percent (also from CDC COVID Data Tracker).¹

For reference, the 1918 influenza pandemic is reported to have killed 21,000,000 people including 549,000 Americans.²

Our most recent prior pandemic, the influenza experience between April 2009 and April 2010, H1N1pdm09, accounted for 60.8 million U.S. cases, 274,304 hospitalizations, and 12,469 U.S. deaths. H1N1 continues to circulate and is still included in the seasonal flu vaccine. A monovalent vaccination produced in response to the H1N1pdm09 pandemic after this strain emerged in 4/2009 wasn’t distributed widely until 11/2009.³

H1N1pdm09 was unique in causing more severe outcomes in younger persons. Approximately 30 percent of persons over 60 in 2009 were thought to have some immunity to H1N1pdm09 conferred by exposure in the past to another H1N1 strain.

As we make our way through the 2020-2021 flu season while in the throes of the highly politicized COVID-19 pandemic, how will we fare at vaccinating Americans against seasonal flu, and will flu vaccination rates provide some hint at public acceptance of, or enthusiasm for, COVID-19 vaccines?

According the CDC’s FluVaxView, during the 2019-2020 flu season, 80.6 percent of healthcare personnel received flu vaccines, with 94.4 percent vaccination in healthcare settings which required it and 69.6 percent in healthcare settings which did not make it mandatory.⁴

In the U.S., for the 2019-2020 flu season, CDC Influenza data are still preliminary but provide a range in numbers of influenza cases from 39,000,000 to 56,000,000, flu medical visits from 18,000,000 to 26,000,000, flu hospitalizations from 410,000 to 740,000, and flu deaths from 24,000 to 62,000. Even using the highest estimate for flu deaths from last season, COVID-19 deaths have already quadrupled the total number of flu deaths last season (https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/past-seasons.html).⁵

However, according to Flu Surv-NET (the Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network), the number of influenza-associated hospitalizations from 10/01/2020 to 12/05/2020 only totals 61 in the U.S. thus far (compared with prior seasons this is an unseasonably low number). There is not yet efficacy data for the 2020-2021 seasonal influenza vaccine because of low case counts so far, but most influenza experts expect a mild flu season due to COVID-19 practices of masking, social distancing, hand sanitization, and cough and sneeze hygiene.

As communities struggle to control the catastrophic consequences of COVID-19, getting our flu vaccines and encouraging all of our eligible patients to do the same demonstrates leadership and concern for the most vulnerable among those we serve. Discussing the flu vaccine with our patients also offers context for discussing the COVID-19 vaccines.

References

¹https://covid.cdc.gov.covid-data-tracker.

²Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases,
13th Edition, p 187

³https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/2009-h1n1- pandemic.html

⁴https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/hcp- coverage_1920estimates.html.

⁵https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/past-seasons.html