Union County Health Commissioner Jason Orcena said during Wednesday’s Board of Health meeting that a pattern is emerging between adult and youth cases of COVID-19 in Union County. As shown in the graph, when adult cases spike he said youth cases increase in a similar way. He said this shows that youth are contracting the virus just as easily even if their symptoms are not as severe. (Graphic submitted)
As Union County Health Department officials prepare plans to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine, they are also analyzing the spread of the virus within the community.
During Wednesday’s Board of Health meeting, Union County Health Commissioner Jason Orcena said cases and hospitalizations are spiking throughout the state.
“We are in the middle of a surge – or the beginning of a surge – and we don’t see an end in sight at the moment,” he said.
Most notably, Orcena said the number of youth cases in the county mirror the trends in adult cases.
He said youth cases began to occur locally after the state loosened restrictions from the Stay at Home order in May and June. Since July, Orcena said youth cases have matched the adult cases.
“If you hear folks talking about, ‘Youth aren’t getting it,’ we are seeing a pattern really begin to emerge,” he explained.
For example when there is a spike in adult cases in the area, there is also an increase in youth cases.
Orcena said youth who are positive for COVID-19 generally experience more minor symptoms, but are still contracting the virus as easily as adults.
He said adolescents, or those over the age of 12, are more likely to be tested than younger children. Cases in small children are “more likely to go unnoticed,” Orcena said, because symptoms are typically mild or mimic other illnesses.
Orcena said that most youth cases are related to social gatherings and sports.
He noted that no youth cases in the county have required hospitalization.
As case counts grow, Orcena said the agency is preparing to distribute the COVID-19 on a mass scale once it is available.
He said it is “unclear when the vaccine is going to arrive.”
Initially, Orcena said health departments were told to prepare to receive vaccines in November but are now being told they may arrive by the end of December.
He said health departments have been told they will receive 1,000 dose kits that cannot be broken down into smaller shipments. So, UCHD has to be prepared to distribute that amount at a time.
To distribute the vaccine on a large scale, Orcena said they will need to host a drive-thru clinic similar to the flu shot clinic UCHD conducts.
He said it isn’t possible to use a large indoor location like a gym because the risk of transmission and infection is too high.
He said the health department has “looked at every viable option for drive-thru clinics.”
“We keep coming back to the best option we have available to us: the fairgrounds,” Orcena said.
Although this is the most suitable location, the health commissioner said it will come at a high price.
Generally, the Union County Fairgrounds rents their ground for storage during the winter. If UCHD officials would like to reserve the fairgrounds and the rabbit barn, Orcena said they must pay what the fair board would have lost in storage revenue.
The problem is compounded because local health departments are unsure when they will actually receive the vaccine.
For that reason, Orcena said UCHD would have to plan to rent the site from November until March. That brings the rental cost to $10,000.
“We are running the risk we pay $10,000 and don’t have a vaccine by March,” he said, adding that UCHD is still being told they will have vaccines by the end of the year.
Additionally, Orcena said there are additional costs aside from the land rental.
Since the restrooms at the fairgrounds will be winterized by that point, he said the health department will also need to rent a Port-a-John for staff to use while working at the clinic.
Orcena said it will cost $1,000 each month, bringing total rental costs to $14,000.
“This is an expensive operation – we have not found another option in county,” the health commissioner said.
The Board of Health voted unanimously to rent the fairgrounds in preparation for vaccine distribution, despite the cost. Orcena said UCHD will “use grant dollars to the fullest extent we can.”
Director of Health Promotions and Planning Shawn Sech said the health department is also working closely with the Emergency Management Agency to acquire other supplies needed for the clinic.
She said the event will require materials including a drive-thru tent and heaters for a staff warming station.
Sech said the purchases will be near $60,000, but the EMA will purchase them with CARES Act dollars allocated by the federal and state government. That way, if the EMA purchases the supplies, the agency will be able to use them on a regular basis for other emergency responses.