COVID-19 VACCINE RESOURCES

There is nothing we want more than to vaccinate as many people as we can, every day. Doing so not only benefits our public health, but our children’s education and our economy. Any vaccine that we have received has either been administered or is scheduled to be provided. By scheduling appointments for our drive-through clinic, we’re much better equipped to ensure that eligible individuals will receive vaccine in a safe and orderly environment.

Anyone receiving the vaccine will be monitored for 15 minutes to ensure they don’t experience any rare, serious reaction. There may be other minor side effects that follow the vaccination, which can include pain or soreness in the arm where you get the shot, fever, chills, tiredness or headache, which can last up to a day. The vaccines currently available also requires two doses, and the full immunity of the vaccine is not experienced until a week after the second shot. Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital is currently administering the Moderna vaccine which requires a second dose 4 weeks after your first.

For those still evaluating your decision to receive the vaccine, we want to make sure you have a clear understanding of the vaccine and how it works. Each vaccine uses messenger RNA (mRNA), which is a copy of the virus’s code that tells the body’s immune system how to quickly recognize and fight the virus. No live COVID-19 virus exists in the vaccine and you cannot catch COVID-19 from the vaccine.

The speed at which each vaccine was developed was achieved by eliminating bureaucratic red tape within the existing vaccine development process and because funding already existed. No corners were cut that would jeopardize the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. It was properly reviewed and vetted by immunization experts from the FDA and CDC, and across the globe, scientists and medical experts consistently support the safety of the vaccine.

As I mentioned before, this process will take time. But the more people we can vaccinate, the sooner we can get back to normal. During these upcoming months, we must not let our guard down and will need to continue to wear our masks, wash hands regularly and practice social distancing. Once our more at-risk populations are vaccinated, we will continue to move through the prioritization groups so that more members of the public can receive the vaccine.

If you, a friend or a loved one falls into the current priority group, appointments can be scheduled online or by calling our hotline 906-341-3775. On behalf of Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital, we look forward to seeing you in the coming months and working together to end the COVID-19 pandemic in Manistique and beyond.