Joint Information Center
Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021
As of 8 a.m on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, Calhoun County has a cumulative total of 7,009 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported to Calhoun County Public Health Department (CCPHD), with a total of 184 deaths attributed to the virus. This information is updated once daily, Monday through Friday, at www.calhouncountymi.gov.

While Calhoun's percent positivity rate is lower than it has been in months, at just over 7%, Health Officer Eric Pessell says that neighbors should continue to follow public health protocols to reduce spread and get the percent positivity rate below 3%.

"As long as our percent positivity rate is above 3%, community spread continues to be apparent in Calhoun County," said Pessell. "While it's encouraging that vaccination efforts have begun, that process will take time. It reminds critical that we all wash our hands, wear face coverings, and socially distance, to slow the spread and keep our community safe."
COVID-19 Vaccine Information
COVID-19 vaccination clinics are happening quickly as we begin the new year.

The Calhoun County Public Health Department (CCPHD) is booking daily vaccination clinics to administer first- and second-round doses to our Phase 1A groups this week. We are following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and MDHHS recommendations for prioritization, distribution, and administration of COVID-19 vaccines for adults.

Michigan is still in Phase 1A of vaccine distribution, with the intent to move as quickly as possible to the other phases and assure any vaccine allocated in the state is administered quickly. MDHHS has set the initial operational goal of vaccinating 70% of people 16 years of age and older, or about 5.6 million people, for COVID-19 by the end of 2021.

Prior to the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine, the Public Health Department began coordinating with local hospitals on distribution plans. The initial 975 doses vaccinated local health department, EMS, and fire department staff. The CCPHD is conducting surveys via email with local agencies that are included in Phases 1A, 1B, and 1C—the survey will help staff determine dates, times, and number of individuals participating in each clinic. After nurses administering the vaccine dilute the vaccine, the shelf life is 6 hours; therefore, detailed and thorough planning is critical in order to successfully use all vaccines available to us.

For members of the public waiting to be vaccinated, please be patient. It will take weeks or months to move through the prioritization phases, depending on supplies. There is no waitlist, and information about public clinics will be announced via press release and Joint Information Center briefing. The Public Health Department is committed to providing detailed information as quickly as possible, and has established a dedicated website for county vaccination updates: calhouncountymi.gov/covidvaccine.

While plans evolve, this website will provide information about progress through our vaccine distribution efforts. The webpage provides current vaccine distribution status, priority groups, vaccination numbers, and frequently asked questions. Information and updates can also be found on the Public Health Department's Facebook page, CCPublicHealthDepartment.

COVID-19 Vaccine Groups (determined by MDHHS)

Phase 1A includes paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials and are unable to work from home, as well as residents of long-term care facilities.
Phase 1B includes frontline essential workers and individuals 75 years of age and older.
Phase 1C includes other essential workers, persons 65 to 74 years of age, and individuals 16 to 64 years of age with underlying medical conditions.

Phase 2 is a mass vaccination campaign for all persons age 16 years or older.
Keep up with Calhoun County vaccine efforts at
‌
Next Live Joint Information Center Briefing
The first live Joint Information Center briefing of 2021 from the Calhoun County Joint Operations Center will take place at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13. In addition to updates about the spread of COVID-19 in Calhoun, Health Officer Eric Pessell or a representative from the Public Health Department will provide an update about countywide vaccination efforts. This JIC briefing will be streamed on the City of Battle Creek Facebook Page.
***


For updates from Calhoun County, about County operations and COVID-19 in Calhoun County, visit the County website, calhouncountymi.gov.

For updates from the City of Battle Creek, please visit battlecreekmi.gov/coronavirus.

The State’s COVID-19 Hotline is available for anyone who has questions or concerns related to the virus. The hotline is open seven days a week from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Call 1-888-535-6136. For state COVID-19 information, visit michigan.gov/coronavirus.
For information, contact
Lucy Blair, Calhoun County Communications Manager

Victor Jovanovich, Public Health Department Communications Specialist

Jessica Vanderkolk, City of Battle Creek Communications Manager