The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. has opened online registration for the initial phase of COVID-19 vaccinations on Tinian, which will be done this Sunday at the Tinian Health Center from 10am to 3pm.<\/p>\n
And since the Moderna Inc. vaccines are easier to transport, those are the vaccines that will be brought to Tinian. About 400 vaccines are expected to be used on Tinian for Phase 1A, according to Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief operation officer Subroto Banerji, about the same number that will also be used on Rota. CHCC will be going to Rota the following Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Moderna vaccines are capable of being shipped to Rota and Tinian without being placed in ultracold storage.<\/p>\n
Banerji stated that ease of transport for the Moderna vaccine is why CHCC chose to use these vaccines for the outreach on Tinian and Rota. This is also why CHCC has used some Moderna vaccines for some individuals who are homebound or bed-bound, as CHCC can bring the vaccines to these patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge is that the Pfizer vaccine doesn\u2019t work well once it\u2019s moved a lot, so we bring it across the street into our vaccination tent in refrigeration [and] it stays there. The Moderna vaccine is much easier to be mobile. So that\u2019s allowed us to start homebound, or bed-bound, [vaccination],\u201d said Banerji. So far, 10 individuals on Saipan have received the Moderna vaccine.<\/p>\n
Meantime, CHCC has opened up online registration on Saipan for today, Jan. 15, and tomorrow, Jan. 16 for Phase 1B.<\/p>\n
Banerji stated that CHCC had to quickly change their strategy on the third week because people weren\u2019t going in. \u201cWe had already opened up the vaccine, and we didn\u2019t want to waste it, so we went ahead and opened up to the initial 1B, and then we close it back down,\u201d said Banerji.<\/p>\n
Banerji stated that Phase 1A was focused on protecting those individuals who are in direct contact, or hospital staff working at the Kanoa Resort in Susupe who are dealing with COVID-10 patients, first responders who are present when there are positive cases, and individuals who are 65 years old or older. He said it\u2019s been documented that these individuals are more likely to get severe disease should they get infected with COVID-19.<\/p>\n
The other group in Phase 1A are individuals living in long-term care facilities, or nursing homes. However, the CNMI does not have long-term care facilities, Banerji said, so Esther Mu\u00f1a, CHCC chief executive officer, decided to replace \u201clong-term care facilities\u201d with individuals who are homebound or bed-bound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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