Opportunities for COVID-19 vaccines, rapid tests coming to Tulip Time Festival
AP
FILE - This Dec. 2, 2020, file photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows vials of the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two (Johnson & Johnson via AP)
and last updated 2021-04-30 16:32:56-04
HOLLAND, Mich. â Havenât gotten your COVID-19 vaccine yet? Youâll have another chance starting Saturday at the Tulip Time Festival in Holland.
Festival organizers are partnering with the Ottawa County Department of Public Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the City of Holland to offer vaccinations, along with free COVID-19 testing, according to a news release Friday.
LANSING Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday the state is working to expand access to therapeutic treatments for COVID-19 and its variants, as Michigan continues to face the highest case rates in the U.S.
Whitmer and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state s chief medical executive, announced the state is making efforts to expand access to monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatments. The treatments were used to treat former President Donald Trump when he contracted COVID-19 in 2020.
No details on the expansion plan were announced Wednesday. Officials said the state was working to access mAb treatments produced by pharmaceutical manufacturers Eli Lilly and Regeneron, specifically.
HOLLAND With another variant of the COVID-19 virus identified in Michigan, local health officials say it’s still important to get vaccinated.
It’s not yet known how effective the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are against the B.1.351, or South African, variant that was recently discovered in Michigan for the first time.
Ottawa County Department of Public Health Medical Director Paul Heidel said variants do bring some concern, but the current thought is the vaccines are still effective.
“As far as the variants go, it looks like the vaccines are effective, at least this is what the CDC is saying they are effective,” Heidel said during a recent county board meeting. “We are concerned a little bit about the South African strain, because that is one that does seem to possess the ability to bypass some of the antibodies, either from the vaccine or prior infection of COVID. But overall, they are still saying (the vaccines) are effective.”
U.K. COVID variant identified in Ottawa County
Sentinel Staff
HOLLAND A case of the COVID-19, variant B.1.1.7., sometimes referred to as the United Kingdom strain of the coronavirus, has been confirmed in a laboratory test in an Ottawa County resident, per local health officials. It is the first confirmed case of a coronavirus variant in Ottawa County.
Per the Ottawa County Department of Public Health, the individual with the confirmed case is younger than 20 years of age and had no known travel history. The case is in isolation with close contacts identified. Additional measures take place when a variant is identified or even suspected, such as a strict 14-day quarantine and an extended contact tracing timeframe, said OCDPH Medical Director Dr. Paul Heidel in a statement. With the case not having any travel history and the variant being highly transmissible, we are urging all people take extra precautions to avoid infection and furthering the spread of the virus.