4January 2021
Doctors in some fields, like chiropractic care and optometry, state it's been hard for them to track down the COVID-19 vaccine.
DALLAS– As 2020 came to an end, it was the start of the COVID-19 vaccinations. Many frontline health care workers got their very first dose of
the vaccine, however the amount is only a fraction of what doctors say is required to reach herd resistance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.66 million individuals received their very first dosage
of the vaccine in the United States, including more than 414,000 Texans. Carepath Healthcare System, a hospice agency in Arlington, is one of the areas that got 500 doses of the Moderna vaccine. There was a line out the door and
twisted around the building last week as people waited in line to be vaccinated. Lana Lynch, a signed up nurse and the executive director, stated they lacked vaccines rapidly. Some of the people who waited in line were healthcare workers too.”We have actually been overloaded with calls,”said Lynch. Carepath has gotten more calls than vaccines offered.”We have the capability to vaccinate about 800 people a day, and they sent us 500 vaccines. We are asking for more, and hopefully, we will get those vaccines and get them in individuals's arms.”
Many physicians, who do not operate in a health center system like dentists, eye doctors or chiropractic practitioners, have no clear responses on when and where they can get the vaccine.
“Nobody appears to know if, as a chiropractic practitioner, we are group 1a or 1b,”stated Dr. Jeff Manning. He's the chiropractic practitioner and owner of Manning Wellness Clinic in Dallas.
“We are so near to patients, and we see a lot of individuals all
day long so it puts us at more threat of exposure,”Manning said. He and his staff have called different locations and even the health department, not able to find the vaccine. “It's hard enough to make the decision to proceed and get the vaccine, however then on top of it needing to work so tough to track it down is exceptionally frustrating,” he said.
Manning has put lots of safety precautions in place in his center. Patients are spaced out so they do not overlap. Temperatures are checked at the front desk. Sanitizer is available, and devices is wiped down between each patient. However no matter the number of precautions he takes, the nature of his task puts him at risk.
“It's tough due to the fact that we're in that happy medium,”stated Dr. Manning.
As for Carepath Healthcare System, Lynch is expecting an update on whether they will get more vaccines this week. They are happy to be a part of the process, getting their patients, personnel, other healthcare workers and the public vaccinated.
Source: wfaa.com