Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
A total of 1,274 vaccine doses had been administered in Eddy County through public health as of April 20, with only 200 of those doses administered in the past few weeks. Vaccine hesitancy is the biggest issue right now, according to Eddy County Public Health Nurse Danette Schmid.
“I feel like we have addressed a very large amount of people, and vaccine hesitancy is the primary reason why people are not getting the vaccine,” Schmid said.
According to the N.D. Department of Health, 1,716 vaccine doses had been administered in Eddy County as of Wednesday, April 28. The one-dose coverage rate sits at 51.8 percent, and 48 percent of eligible residents are up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccines. Eddy County’s rates are above the state average, as only 47 percent of North Dakotans have received at least one dose and 40 percent are fully vaccinated.
Snowbirds who received their COVID-19 vaccine(s) outside of North Dakota are asked to have their vaccination records updated. To do so, call Eddy County Public Health (ECPH) at 701-947-5311. Immunization cards can be brought to the office, emailed to Lisa Thompson at [email protected] or texted to 701-652-5270. Schmid said the benefit of having immunization information reported in NDIIS is that in-state medical providers will have easier access to complete records when needed.
The Johnson & Johnson single dose COVID-19 vaccine is back after the FDA authorities took a pause to evaluate six claims of women who developed rare blood clots after receiving the vaccine. Thompson said Wednesday that there are Johnson & Johnson vaccines available at Eddy County Public Health, and all residents age 16 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine. Simply call to schedule an appointment.
Testing and active case numbers remain in the single digits in Eddy County, but other parts of the state have seen an uptick in cases. Schmid reported on Tuesday, April 20, that ECPF was again conducting weekly PCR testing at the request of the N.D. Department of Health. The new variants are not showing up on the rapid tests that public health agencies had been using. Testing demand remains low, as they have only done a handful of tests at ECPH each week.
There were two active cases in Eddy County Wednesday. The Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd reported that one positive case was identified during their April 28 testing, and visitation has been moved outdoors as a result. On the Spirit Lake Reservation, public health officials reported 13 positives and 31 close contacts being monitored. One case involved a toddler classroom.
“I want to deeply stress that our number of cases are rising including young children and toddlers,” the Spirit Lake Tribal Health Covid Incident Commander announced via Facebook Wednesday. She asked that parents monitor their children and keep them home if they exhibit any symptoms.
Active cases across the state have hovered around 1,000 for the entire month of April. Hospitalizations have remained low, however, with 37 North Dakotans hospitalized due to COVID as of Wednesday. April also had one of the lowest monthly death totals, with 17 deaths reported in the state from April 1-28.
