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“We have more demand for vaccine than we can meet,” the county medical director said.
Still, Faust is fighting myths and doubts about the vaccines from segments of the public including medical workers. A survey of local fire departments shows a range of hot and cold responses to getting the immunizations.
Oakland County prioritized the more than 3,000 licensed EMTs, which includes firefighters, as the COVID-19 vaccines rolled out in December.
But as of early February, participation rates among area fire departments often the ones responding when an emergency 911 call is made varied dramatically from Northville Township with overwhelming support nearing 100% of the staff getting vaccinated, to Milford, where only 24% jumped at the chance.
“When are you gonna get the shot?”
South Lyon Fire Chief Robert Vogel, who hasn’t seen his 78-year-old mother for nearly a year except via Zoom and one brief drive-by of her home in Dexter, surprised her with his response.
“I told her, ‘Two hours ago, Mom,’ and she started crying,” said Vogel, who was among the first emergency medical service personnel in Oakland County to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. “It feels like maybe we see the end of the tunnel.”
Love is a strong force for the vaccination, and like Vogel it was a primary motivator for South Lyon Fire Sgt. Cindy Conrad, who drove with the fire chief to Waterford Regional Fire Headquarters Dec. 18 to get immunized after the county received nearly 1,950 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination for distribution to EMS personnel around the county.