PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island next week will begin vaccinating residents of elderly housing buildings against the COVID-19 virus, as well as adults in group homes, according to the R.I. Department of Health, in a Friday update on the state’s vaccination effort.
The state also is now preparing for a change in federal distribution of the vaccines, officials said.
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Starting around Feb. 1, the allocation formula will change from a per-capita basis to one based on data, including the percentage of the state’s population that is 65 or older, and the rate at which the state is administering the vaccines it receives, said Tricia Washburn, chief of the office of preventive services for the R.I. Department of Health.
“We don’t know yet what that means for Rhode Island, what our allocation will look like based on that,” she said. “We will learn more as we move forward.”
Nearly 18% of people in Rhode Island in 2019 were aged 65 and above, according to the U.S. Census, which is higher than the national average of 16.5%.
As part of the transition to a new federal administration, states are expecting to receive more vaccine supply, as both the Trump and incoming Biden administrations have said the federal government will no longer be holding back vaccine for second doses for people being inoculated.
Both the Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. vaccines require two shots, about three weeks apart.
As of this week, Rhode Island’s doses are being administered at a rate that is on-par or above most other states, said Dr. Philip Chan, consultant medical director, for the RIDOH division of preparedness, response, infectious disease and emergency medical services.
Demand for vaccine remains high, he said.
The state is actively planning for rapid vaccination of state residents, he said, once additional supply of vaccine becomes available.
The state continues to get many questions about why certain groups of people are getting the vaccine now and why others have to wait.
“The very simple answer is that Rhode Island does not have the supply right now to vaccinate everyone who wants to be vaccinated,” he said. “If we could, we would definitely vaccinate everyone who wants one. We just don’t have the supply right now to make that happen.”
According to Washburn, as of this week, 51,220 people have received at least a first vaccinations. Of that group, 9,243 have received a second dose and are considered fully vaccinated.
Beginning Jan. 18, new groups of people in Phase 1 who will receive their first vaccines include street outreach workers, part of what the state is calling ‘harm reduction staff,’ students who are working in clinical settings in hospitals, long-term care facilities and other sites, staff and adults in group homes and elderly housing residents.
The state’s goal for the first phase, Chan said, is to make sure that the health care and public safety system of the state is prioritized, and to take care of residents in nursing homes and congregate care settings, where the impact of COVID-19 has been felt most severely.
In other states and countries, when the health care system gets overwhelmed, it leads to more deaths from the disease. This is why shoring up the health care system is critical.
“One of the goals of this vaccination campaign is to make sure our health care infrastructure can appropriately respond to the pandemic.”
In the week that ended Friday, vaccinations were continuing in settings including in Central Falls, given the impact there with high hospitalization rates and deaths.
There is a huge demand for vaccination among older Rhode Islanders, he noted. The state is doing so incrementally, he said, prioritizing people at highest risk for dying, including people in nursing homes and group homes.
The state has all residents age 75 and above as part of Phase 1. These broader vaccinations will start once the resident in group homes or nursing homes have been completed.
“We know from the data, from the science, from what we’ve seen in our state, that people who are 75 and older are at incredibly high risk of dying if they get COVID-19,” Chan said. “It’s really important to prioritize that population.”
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
If we had focused on age 65 and older from the start, we would have had 1/3rd of that population vaccinated by now and in 2 months would be complete with the highest risk population even at the snail pace RI has been vaccinating. if 85% of deaths are in that age group you’d be saving about 10 lives a day. Over 3 months that’s 900 lives saved. Begin mass vaccinations of those over 65 now! Easiest to verify without the political headache of dealing with competing “essential” workforces – all of which I’m sure will articulate very well why they should be head of the line… but focusing on oldest first is indisputable and easy to understand by all. It is fair and equitable and consistent with CDC guidelines.