SALYERSVILLE – Local COVID-19 numbers have edged upward slightly, with increases seen at the school levels keeping school personnel to monitor the situation closely.
The Magoffin County Health Department confirmed on Wednesday that there were 8 new COVID-19 cases from Magoffin County on Thursday, November 4, 6 on Friday, 4 on Saturday, 0 on Sunday, 6 on Monday, 8 on Tuesday, and 11 as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10. To date, 2,297 COVID-19 cases have been reported from Magoffin County, with 49 active cases to date. Currently, no one from Magoffin County is hospitalized. Of the 11 cases reported on Wednesday, nine were children, two adults, and one was a breakthrough/fully vaccinated case.
Currently, the Magoffin County School District is in the orange, or Tier 3, meaning school transmission is greater than 20 to 50 per 100,000 cases, with masks required on buses and masks highly recommended for all students and staff (vaccinated and unvaccinated). Director of Pupil Personnel Justin Bailey told Mortimer Media Group they reevaluate the district’s status every Friday, but with 11 cases by mid-Wednesday this week, he was expecting they could be back in the red on Friday. Tier 4, or the red tier, would require masks for all students and staff in all school facilities.
On Monday Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines started for children ages 5 to 11 years, with Frontier Medical and Big Sandy Healthcare taking appointments for children to get the vaccine. Big Sandy Health Care announced in a release earlier this week that they will be distributing the vaccine at their Eula Hall Health Center, Martin County Community Health Center, and Physicians for Families, with Hope Family Health Services not at this time. People are encouraged to contact a health center nearest them for information about scheduling a vaccine for their children.
As for more information about the COVID-19 vaccine for children, Big Sandy Health Care cited Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as an excellent resource for information.
“We urge our patients to follow the science on the COVID-19 vaccine,” the BSHC press release stated.
The Magoffin County Health Department is still taking appointments for first and second doses of the vaccine, as well as for booster shots, with people encouraged to call 606-349-6212 to schedule an appointment or for more information.
Locally, Walgreens also distributes booster vaccines, which have been FDA-approved for people over the age of 65 or in jobs where they work with the public six months after they received the second dose.
From Big Sandy Health Care:
Big Sandy Health Care is now offering the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 at some of our clinics.
The vaccine was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in children, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed with a recommendation to vaccinate this age group against Covid-19.
The Pfizer COVID -19 vaccine for children will be offered at the following clinics: Eula Hall Health Center, Martin County Community Health Center, Physicians for Families, and Hope Family Health Services (not available at this time). Please call the Health Center nearest you for information about scheduling a vaccine for your child and current availability.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is an excellent resource for information on the Covid-19 vaccine for children. We urge our patients to follow the science on the Covid-19 vaccine. Our clinic staff are also available to answer your questions about the vaccine for yourself or your children.
To schedule the vaccine for your child, call 606-886-8546, Option 1. For clinic phone numbers, visit our Web site at https://www.bshc.org/contact-us.html.
