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2021-032 Fire Department COVID VaccinationsDate: May 21, 2021 Report No. 2021-032 INFORMAL STAFF REPORT TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: Denton Fire Department COVID-19 Update EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Denton Fire Department (DFD) has been extremely involved locally and with the State with COVID-19 testing even before the vaccines were available. Through the testing processes and lessons learned, we quickly discovered that Denton County Public Health (DCPH) had a great plan and process in place. They were coordinating on implementing a mass vaccination plan into action once the vaccines became available. As the COVID Vaccination Provider Program registration/sign-ups began, well before any vaccines were approved for emergency use, the DFD were in discussions with DCPH about hosting vaccine clinics within the City of Denton. We were fortunate that UNT (Discovery Park) and then Denton ISD (CH Collins) had prime locations for mass drive thru vaccination sites. DCPH had a superb model for mass vaccinations which was so efficient that even the CH Collins was quickly outgrown. At that point the mass vaccination clinics were moved to Texas Motor Speedway to accommodate larger daily and weekly volumes. The Denton Fire Department has been involved with every mass vaccination clinic in the COD and at TMS since the inception of the vaccination clinics through DCPH. This model has delivered over 350,000 doses and counting. Last week the TMS site was closed since the number of individuals requesting to be vaccinated has dropped dramatically. The site has now temporarily relocated back to CH Collins this week for 2 vaccine clinics on Wednesday with approximately 500 doses and Thursday with approximately 3000 doses. These clinics have several 2nd dose recipients since the overall number of new individuals signing up to request a vaccination has dwindled down to almost non-existent except for the newly approved 12-18-year-old age group. DISCUSSION: Why is the City of Denton not a COVID-19 Vaccine Provider? During the early stages of COVID-19 and throughout the process, the DFD did investigate in becoming a registered COVID-19 Vaccine Provider. Ultimately the decision was made to not become a provider for several reasons. Two of the key reasons included: 1- The storage of the vaccines. To properly secure and store vaccines for on-going vaccination clinics requires specialized refrigeration and, in some cases, ultra-cold freezers that the COD currently does not have and would have had to acquire. 2-The DFD was building a great partnership with DCPH and felt confident that they would be able to meet our expectations for ensuring that vaccinations are readily available to our Citizens. Current COVID Vaccination Clinics: Date: May 21, 2021 Report No. 2021-032 As mentioned previously, DCPH has administered over 350,000 COVID-19 vaccination doses at over 40 COVID-19 clinics. While most doses were administered at the mass hub site that they established at Texas Motor Speedway, they have also administered approximately 10,000-20,000 in the COD at CH Collins. DCPH’s model in COVID-19 vaccinating is one of the model programs in the United States and we are proud to have been partnering with them from the very beginning on this project. This week alone they scheduled 2 clinics at CH Collins with the first one being on Wednesday and the second on Thursday. While these clinics were scheduled for a lot of 2nd dose recipients, they are also open for 1st doses also. DCPH virtually does not have a waiting list at all anymore. In fact, individuals without an appointment can literally pull up to the shot clinic today and get an instant appointment by registering on the DCPH website. DCPH prefers photo id but it is not required; some type of ID is required to assist in reporting/recording the vaccine in the statewide database; ID type is a very general category—work/school ID, bills with mailing address, school record, etc. DCPH has already scheduled another drive-up clinic for next week in-case additional individuals would like to be vaccinated. Some Additional Clinics that are On-Going through DCPH: Going forward DCPH is already scheduling vaccine clinics at schools over the next few months along with any additional clinics as needs are identified. Additionally, DCPH has also established a “HomeBound” vaccination program. Since several County Fire Departments had been heavily involved with Texas Motor Speedway and local Clinics within their own Cities, Denton County Emergency Service District #1 (Argyle FD) has been tasked with this program. Currently this program is averaging 5-8 “Home Visits” throughout Denton County twice a week. These clinics focus on individuals that are homebound and have no other means of going to a traditional vaccination clinic. The DFD will continue to support DCPH COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the COD and we have also offered to assist ESD1 with their homebound missions within the COD. Other Clinics within the COD: The DFD has also been involved with the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) in their vaccination efforts for several months now. The most notable program within the COD that we have been assisting them on is their “SNF” (Skilled Nursing Facilities) missions. TDEM has been tasked with ensuring that all residents and staff in Skilled Nursing Facilities are offered and administered COVID-19 vaccines. This project throughout that state have taken a considerable amount of time and coordination and is ending this week (The last COD facility was finished last week). Another program going on in the State with Texas Military and TDEM is the new “Call Center Connect” (CCC) Program in which any group of 10 or more can call 844-90-TEXAS to schedule a visit from a mobile COVID-19 vaccination team. Additionally, a quick search of pharmacies within the COD revealed that individuals can pretty much receive a COVID-19 vaccination virtually any day of the week within the COD. Date: May 21, 2021 Report No. 2021-032 Can the DFD arrange for groups to be vaccinated? Yes, through our various partnerships we can find a provider (either DCPH or TDEM) to administer COVID-19 vaccine doses to groups. We are also finalizing the logistics in which the FD would utilize a van as a “Mini Mobile Clinic” within the COD. With this van, we can go out and register individuals through the DCPH website and then have FD members administer the doses. With this model DCPH will still be the provider and record keeper, but the DFD will be the primary party in identifying groups/individuals and administering the COVID-19 vaccines. How is the City assisting to reach individuals experiencing homelessness? As reported in the May 7 Friday report, City staff from Community Services partnered with DCPH and the United Way of Denton County (UWDC) to coordinate vaccine clinics for people experiencing homelessness. On Friday, April 30, DCPH provided forty-four (44) vaccines at Our Daily Bread and twenty-seven (27) vaccines at the Salvation Army in Lewisville. UWDC partnered with each respective agency to pre-register individuals, and DCPH provided onsite registration to individuals who arrived the day of the clinics. This was DCPH’s first attempt at decentralizing their vaccine administration process and a successful attempt to target vulnerable populations. Staff will continue to collaborate with community partners to coordinate vaccine administration to vulnerable groups. CONCLUSION: We expect there to be changes in the future and will continue to be flexible and adapt to meet the needs of the COD. Individuals wanting to still receive a COVID-19 vaccine have several options readily available within the COD to receive a free vaccination. There will likely continue to be small surges in individuals wishing to be vaccinated as additional age groups open as we are currently seeing with the 12-18-year-old age group with Pfizer. We will continue to work with our partner agencies to make sure our citizens are being offered vaccines in a timely manner. DCPH has developed a great model in administering vaccines to our residents and we are proud to be assisting them in whatever capacity is needed now and, in the future, as we continue through this process. STAFF CONTACT: Kenneth Hedges, Fire Chief