Emergency Preparedness and Response:
June 2, 2021 |
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Walk-In and Pop-Up COVID-19 ClinicsNEW HOURS! Getting a free COVID-19 vaccine is simple and convenient! We have walk-in clinics every week: - Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please arrive by 4:30 for the last appointment.
LOCATION: Whitted Human Services Center at 300 West Tryon St., Hillsborough, NC 27278
Free and no ID or insurance required.
If you would like to schedule an appointment at a time and date that is convenient for you, call 919-913-8088 on weekdays from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, or visit https://www.myspot.nc.gov/ Search for zip code 27278.
Pop-up vaccine clinics are open to all community members ages 12 and older.
We encourage you to register by calling 919-913-8088 or by visiting https://www.myspot.nc.gov
Walk-ins are also welcome!
UPCOMING POP-UP VACCINE CLINICS |
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June is Pet Preparedness Month
Your pets are an important member of your family, so they need to be included in your family’s emergency plan. To prepare for the unexpected follow these tips with your pets in mind:- Make a plan.
- Build an emergency kit.
- Stay informed.
Make a Plan
If you have a plan in place for you and your pets, you will likely encounter less difficulty, stress and worry when you need to make a decision during an emergency. If local officials ask you to evacuate, that means your pet should evacuate too. If you leave your pets behind, they may end up lost, injured or worse.
Things to include in your plan:- Have an evacuation plan for your pet. Many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside. Know a safe place where you can take your pets before disasters and emergencies happen.
- Develop a buddy system. Plan with neighbors, friends or relatives to make sure that someone is available to care for or evacuate your pets if you are unable to do so.
- Have your pet microchipped. Make sure to keep your address and phone number up-to-date and include contact information for an emergency contact outside of your immediate area.
- Contact your local emergency management office, animal shelter or animal control office to get additional advice and information if you’re unsure how to care for your pet in case of an emergency.
Just as you do with your family’s emergency supply kit, think first about the basics for survival, such as food and water. Have two kits, one larger kit if you are sheltering in place and one lightweight version for if you need to evacuate. Review your kits regularly to ensure that their contents, especially foods and medicines, are fresh.
Here are some items you may want to include in an emergency kit for your pet:- Food. Keep several days’ supply of food in an airtight, waterproof container.
- Water. Store a water bowl and several days’ supply of water.
- Medicine. Keep an extra supply of the medicine your pet takes on a regular basis in a waterproof container.
- First aid kit. Talk to your veterinarian about what is most appropriate for your pet’s emergency medical needs.
- Collar with ID tag and a harness or leash. Include a backup leash, collar and ID tag. Have copies of your pet’s registration information and other relevant documents in a waterproof container and available electronically.
- Traveling bag, crate or sturdy carrier, ideally one for each pet.
- Grooming items. Pet shampoo, conditioner and other items, in case your pet needs some cleaning up.
- Sanitation needs. Include pet litter and litter box (if appropriate), newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags and household chlorine bleach to provide for your pet’s sanitation needs.
- A picture of you and your pet together. If you become separated from your pet during an emergency, a picture of you and your pet together will help you document ownership and allow others to assist you in identifying your pet.
- Familiar items. Put favorite toys, treats or bedding in your kit. Familiar items can help reduce stress for your pet.
Tips for Large Animals
If you have pets such as horses, goats or pigs on your property, be sure to prepare before a disaster. In addition to the tips above:
- Ensure all animals have some form of identification.
- Evacuate animals earlier, whenever possible. Map out primary and secondary routes in advance.
- Make available vehicles and trailers needed for transporting and supporting each type of animal. Also make available experienced handlers and drivers.
- Ensure destinations have food, water, veterinary care and handling equipment.
- If evacuation is not possible, animal owners must decide whether to move large animals to a barn or turn them loose outside.
Stay Informed
Being prepared and staying informed of current conditions. Here are some ways you can stay informed:- Listen to local officials when told to evacuate or shelter in place.
- Download the FEMA app and get weather alerts from the National Weather Service, for up to five different locations anywhere in the United States.
- Always bring pets indoors at the first sign or warning of a storm or disaster.
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Black women turn to doulas as maternal mortality crisis deepens.
Black women in the U.S. are more likely to die in childbirth than other races.Naomi, a 37-year-old Black woman from Portland, Oregon, will have a doula by her side when she gives birth to her seventh child, a daughter, later this month.By using a doula -- a trained professional who provides support to moms before, during and after childbirth -- Naomi is part of a growing trend of Black women who see having a doula, particularly a Black doula, as a potentially lifesaving advocate during birth.
"I know the intensity of what's happening can lead to a lot of complications," Naomi, who asked that only her first name be used, told "Good Morning America." "When you're tapped out because you're having contractions that take your breath away, you want someone who can step in and knows what to do and knows what you want."As a Black woman in the U.S. -- which continues to have the highest rate of maternal mortality among developed nations -- Naomi is more than twice as likely to die during childbirth or in the months after than white, Asian or Latina women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Black women like Naomi are also more likely than white, Asian or Latina women to die from pregnancy-related complications regardless of their education level or their income, data shows.
Naomi said she only learned about doulas eight years ago, when she was pregnant with her sixth child and needed someone to be a support person in the delivery room. She was able to access a doula free of cost thanks to a local nonprofit organization, Black Parent Initiative (BPI), that matches Black women with Black doulas in hopes of improving their odds during pregnancy and delivery.
Black Parent Initiative
Naomi, 37, of Portland, Oregon, poses with her doula, Mecca Carter, in this photo taken April 7, 2021.
"All those times I gave birth, I wish I would have had a doula," said Naomi, who had her first child in her late teens. "I wish it was available 20 years ago like it is now."
Linda Bryant-Daaka, a labor and postpartum doula and manager BPI's doula program, said interest in the program has increased every year since its founding in 2016, and especially during the past year of the coronavirus pandemic, which both disproportionately impacted Black people and put a glaring spotlight on racial disparities in health care.
"What we've heard from women is that there was so much stress around the pandemic and they had so many family members pass away, they now want to use these services," said Bryant-Daaka. "And they want someone who has that shared, common background or lived experience as them."
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The Science Behind COVID-19 Vaccines: Parent FAQs
Many parents have questions about COVID-19 vaccines, which are now available to anyone age 12 and up. Here are answers to some of the most common questions families may have.
How does the COVID-19 vaccine work?
The COVID-19 vaccine works similarly to other vaccines your child has had. Germs such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, invade and multiply inside the body. The vaccine stops this by teaching the immune system to recognize and make antibodies to fight the virus. After vaccination, your child has less of a chance of getting COVID-19. And if they do get infected with the virus, they may not' be as sick as they would without the vaccine.
How do we know COVID-19 vaccines are safe for kids?
Before getting FDA emergency use authorization, clinical trials showed COVID-19 vaccines to be remarkably safe and effective for adults and teens age 16 and up. Trials involved tens of thousands of volunteers. After getting additional safety data for younger teens, the FDA extended authorization to adolescents age 12 and older. Clinical trials are underway for children as young as six months old.
The vaccines continue to be monitored very closely. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that COVID-19 vaccines will have “the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history."
How effective are the vaccines?
Research shows that all of the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at stopping people from getting COVID-19. The vaccines also help prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death in those who get COVID- 19.
Scientists don't know how long immunity from the vaccine will protect people. This will become clearer in the future.
How long does it take for the vaccines to create immunity?
It takes around 2 weeks after getting the second dose of the mRNA vaccines for your body to build up an immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19. For the one-dose vaccine, building up immunity takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Do mRNA vaccines change your DNA?
No, the mRNA actually doesn't interact with your DNA at all. DNA is your genetic material and it's stored in the nucleus of a cell. The mRNA in the vaccines never gets into the nucleus. And once your immune cells have used the instructions, they break down the mRNA and get rid of it.
Which vaccine should my child get?
Currently, one of the two-dose vaccines (Pfizer) is approved for teens who are 12 to 17 years old. Anyone who is 18 or older should get whichever vaccine is available to them first. This is especially important now with the rise in cases caused by the variant strains of the virus, which seem to be more contagious and continue to spread at alarming rates here in the US and globally. COVID-19 vaccines are free, whether or not you have health insurance.
What about side effects of the vaccine?
COVID-19 vaccines are safe, but there are some short-term side effects your child may experience. In clinical trials, some adolescents had no side effects, and some had side effects similar to those reported by adults:- Pain, redness, and swelling where the injection was given
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Pain in the muscles
Call your pediatrician and ask about medicines that can reduce these symptoms, which usually go away in a day or so.
While also rare, some people have had serious allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine. This is why your child will need to wait for 15 to 30 minutes after they have a vaccination. If your child has a reaction, there are medications to quickly treat it.
As for long-term side effects, the CDC says this is unlikely. We have years of research and monitoring on other vaccinations that show side effects almost always happen within six weeks of getting a vaccine.
Is it safe to get a vaccine if I'm breastfeeding?
Right now, there's no evidence that getting a COVID-19 vaccine causes any breastfeeding safety concerns. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant and breastfeeding women should be offered the vaccine when they're eligible.
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When Can Young Children Get Vaccinated?Parents and guardians of adolescents are breathing a sigh of relief now that COVID-19 vaccinations have begun for 12-to-15-year-olds. Now, parents of children younger than 12 might be asking, “When will my child be able to get the shot?”
The short answer is that we don’t have an exact answer right now. But there is information available that can help parents of young children prepare.
UNC Health pediatrician Edward Pickens, MD, and Stephanie D. Davis, MD, physician-in-chief of UNC Children’s, share what they know.
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials for Young Children Underway
Clinical trials are happening now for children ages 6 months to 11 years old. These trials are reviewing the efficacy and safety of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Pfizer expects to apply for FDA emergency use authorization for children ages 2 to 11 years old in September. That means young children could be eligible to receive the vaccine by the end of 2021, with babies and toddlers likely to follow soon after.There are very good reasons why the youngest children “go last” in a vaccine rollout. All clinical trials on human beings prioritize safety, but children are a special population. Researchers want to make sure they have as much information as possible on safety, efficacy, dosage and immune response before giving it to children.“You first want to demonstrate safety data in adults before allowing the most vulnerable population—the children—to receive the vaccine. This is the typical pathway in clinical trials. You begin with the adults and conduct these studies in the infants last,” Dr. Davis says.
Children’s bodies may react differently to the COVID-19 vaccines than adult bodies do. The same vaccines used in adults might not generate the same immune response in young children, so all age groups must be studied.
“It is going to take a while; children are not just little adults,” Dr. Pickens says. “Their immune systems develop differently, and we need to make sure that it doesn’t affect them in any detrimental ways.”
Protecting Infants from COVID-19
There’s no indication that a COVID-19 vaccine for newborns is coming soon. The youngest age group included in clinical trials so far is 6-month-olds.
That means parents of babies—and all unvaccinated children—need to continue to take care to protect their kids from COVID-19 infection. The best way to do this is to get vaccinated yourself and to ask your child’s caregivers to get vaccinated as well. Unvaccinated caregivers should be masked around children, and children should not be in crowds with people who might be unvaccinated.
There are many reasons to continue to protect your children from COVID-19: While children overall have been less susceptible to COVID-19 complications than adults, they do get COVID-19, and some become very ill. They also can pass the infection on to vulnerable family members, and if they have cold symptoms, they need to be tested for COVID-19 before returning to school or day care.
Pregnant women who get a COVID-19 vaccine likely pass on some immunity to their babies in utero and then later through breast milk, according to research.
Continue Vigilance to Protect Kids
Because children younger than 12 will not be able to receive a vaccine for several months, it’s important for families to continue to follow reasonable COVID-19 safety precautions.Vaccinated adults can be around unvaccinated children, including indoors without a mask. Unvaccinated adults need to wear masks around other unvaccinated people, including children.“I would urge parents to continue to do strict hand-washing with their children, remind them to wear their masks, and social distancing, which will decrease their risk of exposure to COVID-19. I would continue these precautions until they are able to receive the vaccine,” Dr. Davis says.
If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for your child, talk with your child’s pediatrician. If your child doesn’t have one, find one near you. For facts about the COVID-19 vaccines, visit yourshot.org. |
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North Carolina COVID-19 Cases
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 1,003,243 COVID-19 cases, 13,031 deaths, and 602 hospitalizations.
43.1% of North Carolina's population is at least partially vaccinated, and 38.9% is fully vaccinated.
There are currently 8,567 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 101 deaths in Orange County. 62.5% of Orange County residents are at least partially vaccinated, and 57.4.3% are fully vaccinated.
For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every day around noon), please visit the NCDHHS website.
Orange County Health Department also has a COVID-19 dashboard webpage, with information on COVID-19 data in the county.
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