St. Clair County’s Medical Health Officer is sharing her frustration about the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine locally. Dr Annette Mercatante tells WPHM’s Paul Miller that the county’s allotment of coronavirus vaccine doses from the state has been shrinking. “Each week we’ve gotten less, so the frustration level all around has been pretty profound,” said Mercatante. “We’re watching it very closely… trying to see if there are vaccines in places that’s not really being used.” Locally, she says the St. Clair County Health department uses every dose they are allotted within five days.
In addition to trying to procure and distribute as many COVID-19 shots as possible, the St. Clair County Health Department is also keeping a close eye on a new coronavirus variant that has been discovered in Michigan. Medical Health Officer Dr. Annette Mercatante says variant could exacerbate the situation locally. “More contagiousness means more people sick, which means more people are hospitalized, and more people could die.”
Mercatante says her office is in the process of developing a waiting list for those eligible for the vaccine but have not been able to make an appointment. Currently, the only way to schedule an appointment when available is through the health department’s website, www.scchealth.co .
