As of December 21, 2020, the Cayuga Health Department began to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Starting January 11, 2021, New York entered stage 1b, which includes, among others, individuals 65 years and older, first responders, public transportation workers, and college instructors. Vaccines have also been administered by the state to some local nursing homes. Due to a limited supply, the vaccine is being given out in groups, which will continue to expand to the general population as the supply increases.
The first vaccination clinic in Ithaca opened on December 29 at the old Sears store side entrance behind Best Buy at the Ithaca Mall. The clinic is designed to deliver 1000 vaccines per day, says Dr. Martin Stallone, CEO of the Cayuga Health System.
“We really need everyone that is eligible to come out and get the vaccines that are available,” urged Frank Kruppa, Public Health Director in Tompkins County at the town hall meeting on January 6. “We’re confident that they’re safe, they’re highly effective, and they’re what are going to protect our community and those most vulnerable amongst us, and are going to allow us to get back to normal as quickly as possible.”
Kruppa also discussed aiming for herd immunity, where a sufficient percentage of the population becomes immune through vaccination or recovered infection, reducing the number of people who will contract the virus and contribute to the spread. The estimated COVID herd immunity threshold is unclear so far, but according to Dr. Fauci, an American physician and immunologist working as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 70-90 percent of the population needs to acquire resistance to achieve herd immunity. Therefore, it is encouraged everybody goes to get vaccinated to protect those who are unable to do so.
In Ithaca, two vaccines are being administered: the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine. After receiving the first dose, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require a second dose 21 and 28 days after the first dose, respectively. As described by the FDA, the Pfizer vaccine clinical trial showed a 95 percent efficacy rate after the second dose, while the Moderna trial showed a 94.1 percent efficacy rate. There has been evidence of side effects after getting the vaccine, such as injection site pain and fatigue, but this is seen as a normal immune response. There have been no serious side effects reported for either vaccine.
Amie Hendrix, the Deputy County Administrator, said, “While vaccines are being made available, it does not mean we are at the finish line just yet. It’s really important that all of us continue to wear masks and keep the distance and check in on each other.” It is thus far unclear whether you are still able to transmit the virus as a “silent spreader” after the second dose; in other words, to protect our community and prevent more cases, it is vital to continue following recommended safety precautions.
In an interview on Good Morning America, Dr. Fauci described that the speed of the development of the vaccines is a “reflection of extraordinary advances in the science of vaccine platform technology.” He also clarified that even though the vaccine was produced quickly, it is still safe, since the fast results were due to upgraded technology and the large amount of money invested. Similarly, Kruppa explained, “I am confident in the safety of these vaccines,” also stating that “vaccines are a key public health initiative—we’ve been using them to try and eradicate diseases for decades. This is just another opportunity for us to use the science that we have to help us combat disease.”
In our country’s past, there have been several cases of unethical testing, experimentation, and medical harm towards POC, resulting in distrust in the public health system. In response to historically marginalized groups expressing skepticism on receiving the vaccine, Jason Molino, County Administrator for Tompkins, asserted in the January 6 town hall that “We take on a special and a specific effort to educate our population. We try to hold meaningful conversation and dialogue with different groups in our community to educate them about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.” He also commented, “It’s a concerted effort that we have to make to build that trust.” They are working to eliminate concerns, and build confidence in the vaccine and the distribution system to ensure everyone will be able to get vaccinated and feel safe doing so.
If you are eligible to receive the vaccine, sign up at The Tompkins County Health Department website.