Munson Healthcare to Provide COVID-19 Update on Tuesday
February 22, 2021
You can view the press conference from 11-11:45 a.m. on 9&10 Plus.
The following health care professionals will be on the press conference:
Christine Nefcy, M.D., FAAP, Chief Medical Officer, Munson Healthcare
Dianne Michalek, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Munson Healthcare
Wendy Hirschenberger, M.P.H., Health Officer, Grand Traverse County Health Department
Jennifer Morse, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP, Medical Director, District Health Department #10
Heidi Britton, CEO Northwest Michigan Health Services
Joshua Meyerson, M.D., M.P.H., Medical Director, Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department and Health Department of Northwest Michigan
For Michigan’s older population, navigating vaccination options is complicated
Updated Feb 28, 2021;
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When am I going to vaccinated? That’s the No. 1 question at the moment for seniors such as Sally Biggs, a 77-year-old Leland woman.
She has been unable to get even her first shot in the arm by mid-February, despite her age placing her near the top of Michigan’s COVID-19 Vaccination Prioritization plan.
With both pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions, she makes daily calls to all the nearby vaccine sites to no avail. Her confidence in the vaccine process, as well as many of her senior peers, is waning.
Credit Taylor Wizner
Public health officials say the positivity rate, hospitalizations and new Covid cases are all trending downward.
Current cases are close to where they were before Covid spiked in northern Michigan last fall, says Munson’s Chief Medical Officer Christine Nefcy.
“For the last two days we’ve been below 5% [positivity] and we have not been there since October,” she says. “It’s really great news.”
There are more than 24,000 cases in the region and more than 622,000 cases in the state, as of Wednesday.
Munson has about half as many Covid patients as a month ago.
“I think the mitigation efforts that our local and state health departments put into place have been 100% effective,” Nefcy says.
9 & 10 News
February 2, 2021
The vaccine rollout has hit a couple of stumbling blocks in northern Michigan, with Munson Healthcare cancelling new appointments due to a shortage – and another community cancelling a clinic altogether.
Dr. James Whelan is the Medical Director for the Munson Clinically Integrated Network. He shared the Munson update as part of the organization’s weekly briefing to the community. “As of February 1
st we’ve administered 22,080 vaccines. And that 64.3% of Munson Healthcare workers are now vaccinated.”
Munson Healthcare says they’re making progress. After Thanksgiving there were more than 80 patients within the Munson system. Now – just 23 inpatients – who will be able to have visitors. Munson Healthcare Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Dianne Michalek says, “We are now allowing Covid-19-positive patients one visitor for one hour per day. Having family members there and having visitors there is really part of the healing pro
COVID-19 Vaccine Shortage Felt in Northern Michigan 9and10news.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 9and10news.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.