Staff report
The Point Arc organized a “vaccine rally” in the parking lot of the Northern Kentucky Health Department on Friday to make the point that “We Need Vaccines Now.”
The group generally objects to being left our of Tier 1A and Tier 1B, which defines groups that are eligible for vaccines.
“WE ARE 10 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE OF COVID,” said one sign.
A press release from The Point Arc said they had recently lost a case management participant, who had Down Syndrome, to COVID and they felt these I/DD (Intellectual/Development Disabilities) lives matter just as much as “nursing home residents and people over 70 who are in the 1A and 1B group.
The Northern Kentucky Health Department said it “recognizes the concerns of the individuals, their families and the agencies that serve them” regarding access to vaccines but the categories are determined by the state.
The next phase — 1C — includes people who have serious medical conditions that put them at increased risk of COVID severe complications.
The state is managing an insufficient supply of vaccine coming from the federal government and had to set priorities. Most pharmacies are not yet able to administer vaccines to the public.
Photos by Cora Angel
“I want to assure the participants (in the rally), their families, and the agencies who provide services for the population that they have not been forgotten. Unfortunately, many people with complex medical conditions who are at high risk are having to wait to be vaccinated against COVID-19, due to the lack of adequate doses being available at the local level,” said Dr. Lynne Saddler, District Director of the NKY Health Department.
“When the vaccine is available to local providers for this population, individuals will be vaccinated in a way that meets their unique needs.”
NKY Health has compiled a list of facilities and agencies that serve vulnerable populations in NKY and will be working with these agencies.
The state has reported that 267,577 total doses have been administered and that the Governor has requested that the federal government double the amount of vaccine the state receives every week. In total nationally, only 1% of the population has been vaccinated.
The Governor continues to urge social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands even if you have received the vaccine.
