Hope on the horizon COVID-19 vaccine

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CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – The pandemic has ravaged the United States, New Mexico, and Cibola County. The New Mexico Department of Health noted that COVID-19 led to the death of 55 Cibola County residents as of Dec. 14. The days of darkness are almost done, as Cibola County is preparing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. It is also gearing up for a long wait, not knowing for sure when there will be enough doses for the whole county.

Where is Cibola County today?

Using NMDOH statistics from Dec. 14, Cibola County has recorded a total of 1,928 positive cases. With 771 recoveries from the disease there are currently 1,157 active cases in the county.

Among the three area prisons a total of 517 inmates have been infected since the beginning of the pandemic: 417 total cases among the detainees at Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, New Mexico; 96 total positive cases among inmates at the Northwest New Mexico Cor rectional Center in Grants, N.M.; four total positives among the inmates at Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants.

Women still dominate in the number of cases in the county; they make up 52.41 percent of the total caseload, where men make up 47.59 percent. There is still not enough evidence to know if this is due to women being more infectious or men not being tested as much as women; more research is necessary to determine why more women have tested positive.

Cibola County has made a massive increase in its testing capabilities at the NMDOH Public Health Office on Roosevelt Avenue in Grants. As of Dec. 14, the facility has conducted 40,912 tests. The Cibola County Emergency Manager’s Office has had to team up with the health office and other local agencies to conduct traffic control around the building on testing days, which are scheduled twice a week.

The vaccine

On Dec. 11, the US Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine that can be used in people aged 16 and older.

“The FDA’s authorization is a significant milestone in battling a devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world. Our action comes as we near the end of what has been truly a year unlike any other in modern times; while this year has been marked by tragedy, sadness and sacrifice, it is also a year that has generated unparalleled scientific achievement that will resonate for many generations,” FDA Commissioner Steven Hahn said.

County Emergency Manager Dustin Middleton said on Monday that the county was standing ready to receive the shipments of the vaccine. There are concerns about domestic terrorism, so the shipment will be under guard from local law enforcement to make sure that it will be safe, and nothing can happen to it.

At least one form of the vaccine requires storage at sub-zero temperatures. Middleton explained that the vaccine will likely be shipped with dry ice to maintain the necessary temperature. The county is prepared to ensure that the vaccine will have the cold temperature that it needs. The vaccine will first be sent to Cibola General Hospital in Grants.

CGH will administer the vaccine to prevent their frontline medical workers from catching the disease. Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. MacFarland Bridges explained to the Cibola Citizen several weeks ago that if one of their staff gets sick with COVID, the hospital, which is already shortstaffed, would struggle with providing patient care.

The hospital will han dle the inoculations; at this point it is not clear how many doses of the vaccine Cibola County will receive, and no official numbers have been shared by the NMDOH with the emergency management office.

Despite a lack of clarity, Cibola’s medical workers will be inoculated starting sometime this week. This is for all frontline medical staff; afterwards the focus will shift to Emergency Medical Service personnel like firefighters, ambulance workers, and law enforcement.

Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace explained that when it is time for law en forcement to get the inoculations, the sheriff’s office personnel will be divided into three tiers. Tier one will be for deputies who are constantly in the field and have exposure to people; tier two will be for those deputies who have medium interaction with the public; tier three will be for those employees that have limited interactions with the public. The sheriff noted that the vaccine is not mandatory and that deputies are not required to get the shot if they opt out.

Emergency Manager Middleton explained that it might be one to two months before the vaccine is available for public distribution but that there are no set dates for when that may happen.

Receiving the vaccine is a personal choice explained Middleton.

“It is not just about yourself, it’s about looking out for others,” said the emergency manager.

He commented about wearing face masks and practicing social distancing. Middleton explained that these precautions are and have been about looking out for other people.