Can We Vaccinate at Least 90% of the RI 65 & Older Population by May 4th?
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
As of March 21st, 80.1% of the Rhode Island 65 & older population has received at least 1 vaccine dose ---- and should be fully vaccinated by mid-April.
We also noticed that the RI Department of Health (DOH) in a 1-week period (March 7-14) was able to provide almost 40,000 2nd doses to the 65 & older group – quite an achievement for the RI DOH, the RI National Guard, FEMA, the RI Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), healthcare workers, pharmacies, nursing homes, hundreds of volunteers, and the municipal & community partners.
Teamwork makes a difference. So, can we vaccinate at least 90% of the 65+ population by Rhode Island Independence Day, May 4th – 35 days from now? What is the challenge? – getting an additional 18,528 individuals vaccinated. Supply issue: the feds have provided updated supple forecasts which should provide RI with at least 250,000 doses over the next 5 weeks.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTCan our State leaders decide that we want to fully protect our older adults in RI to essentially establish herd immunity for that population? --- which we know is the most vulnerable COVID group, with the highest percentage of deaths.
Since there are approximately 15,000 individuals with chronic illnesses that are profiled in the “Special Needs Emergency Registry” maintained by the RI DOH, - most of whom are over 65; and there are many thousands of homebound/isolated individuals that are also recently registered with the state for a home administered vaccination; – we can save lives by establishing a well-organized and strategic effort that deploys teams to conduct outreach, determine everyone’s status, and delivers “shots in arms” where the most vulnerable people reside.
This targeted type of mission assignment should ideally be accomplished by May 4th, Rhode Island Independence Day. If we have already administered 40,000 shots in 1 week to our older adults, can we deliver 23,000 additional first shots to them within a 30–35-day period? Absolutely! Once this mission is accomplished, we should activate other specialty vaccination initiatives to be fulfilled by Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day.
Let us give a variety of reasons to celebrate July 4th – and enter the summer with greater vaccine protection, minimizing/eliminating the COVID-19 death rate, and utilizing smarter public health practices. We can do this!
Vincent Marzullo - a current volunteer with the RI Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and Hasbro Children’s Hospital. For 31 years, Vin served as a federal civil rights and social justice Director in RI for the Corporation for National & Community Service. He is a previous Chair of the RI Federal Executive Council and the President Emeritus of AARP RI. Deployed several times as a Federal Disaster Cadre Coordinator when Presidential Disaster Declarations were issued, he supervised AmeriCorps ground support and long-term recovery assistance to aid FEMA response to State/local governments. Vin served three Rhode Island Governors and is the Founder of USA Compassion Corps.
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