COVID-19 vaccinations expanded

The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. started the process yesterday for the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, with the opening of the registration for those who fall under Phase 1B criteria, which includes most CNMI government employees.

That prompted a rush of people attempting to register with CHCC for the vaccination yesterday and caused the CNMI’s vaccination portal—vaccinatecnmi.com—to crash. The online portal was so overwhelmed that it was inaccessible for many hours and anyone attempting to register on the site were told that the site was “undergoing maintenance.” The site became accessible by 5:34pm.

CHCC also announced yesterday that it will start preparing to roll out the Moderna vaccines to Rota and Tinian and residents of both islands are expected to start getting vaccinated in early to mid-January. It was earlier reported that the shipment of 400 doses of Moderna vaccines that arrived last Dec. 26 will be going to Rota, Tinian, and those on Saipan who are homebound.

Under the expanded vaccination schedule, Phase 1B includes CNMI government employees, including COVID-19 contract tracers, CNMI elected officials and judges, federal employees, judges, education workers, telecommunication employees, and faith-based officials. Those who meet the criteria will be given a schedule that will be posted on CHCC’s Facebook page to ensure a space is still available for those in Phase 1A.

Those who qualify under Phase 1A—health care workers, front-line personnel, and the man’amko— will still be able to get the vaccine, and that the new registration is just an expansion to get the island vaccinated, Muña said.

She added those with underlying health conditions who aren’t over 60 years of age will have to wait until the CNMI receives the next set of COVID-19 vaccines. The next shipment will accommodate over 10,000 people. There is no information yet on when the next shipment will arrive.

Speaking at a special radio briefing last Dec. 24, Muña stated that the turnout since last Dec. 19, when the CNMI started vaccinations, has exceeded expectations. As of Dec. 28, over 1,700 front-liners and man’amko in the CNMI has been vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Muña herself got vaccinated last Dec. 19 and, while others haven’t felt anything after getting the shot, her arm became a little tight and she got a slight headache in the middle of the night. Health experts have stated that these are just the body’s normal reaction to the vaccine and the symptoms are a sign that it is working.

She urged people to be proactive about taking the shots and should register if they fall within the groups that are in line for the vaccines. “We don’t need to wait for the health care workers. The health care workers are busy, and they’re contemplating of when exactly they’re going to take it, [so] we are encouraging the man’amko and also those with underlying health conditions to please come and so that we can make sure that we protect you,” said Muña.