NEW YORK (Reuters) – US states facing delays in administering coronavirus vaccines call on medical and nursing students, and even firefighters, to help shoot and release health workers battling a rapid pandemic in overcrowded hospitals.
At least seven state health departments are looking for volunteers for their vaccination sites, some partnering with local universities or nursing schools to offer incentives such as tuition discounts and hands-on training. Others teach first aid to administer traits.
The national deployment of COVID-19 vaccines is the best hope to end a pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 320,000 Americans and paralyzed the U.S. economy.
This month, U.S. regulators authorized the first two COVID-19 vaccines, one from pharmaceuticals Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE and another from Moderna Inc.
As of Wednesday, nearly 10 million doses have been administered nationwide, but only about one million have been administered due to lack of staff in hospitals and special requirements to prepare shots. The slow pace of the vaccination campaign threatens the federal government’s goal of inoculating nearly 20 million people by the end of the year.
Although inoculation is currently focused on front-line health workers, the impetus for vaccination is expected to extend to tens of millions of essential workers in the industry as of January or February.
From New York to Tennessee, states expect medical and nursing students to release medical staff focused on attending to the record number of new patients with COVID-19.
“Being able to attend vaccination clinics with volunteers from our reserve staff means that vaccination site staff can continue to perform their normal functions, which is crucial as our hospitalization rate has increased.” said a spokeswoman for Indiana University School of Medicine.
“STRIKE AGAINST CAVID”
When the first vaccines arrived, Indiana health officials called the state university because of its powerful campuses. More than 630 Indiana University medical and nursing students have signed up to volunteer and receive 90 minutes of hands-on, online training.
Fourth-year medical student Nicholas Clough began administering COVID-19 vaccines to front-line health workers last Wednesday. He lost several family members during the pandemic.
“It finally felt like a real tangible strike against COVID,” said Clough, 26.
The University of Wisconsin offers a $ 500 tuition credit to students with medical credentials who work in understaffed hospitals during the winter holidays, including vaccine administration.
The university is also in talks with government officials to turn universities into vaccine distribution centers, a spokesman said.
In California, firefighters ’paramedics have been trained to administer the vaccine, initially to co-workers.
“They have already received online training and will have another one-hour live training session,” said Peter Sanders, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, who was expecting his first shipment of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday.
Michigan has created a volunteer registry (here www.mivolunteerregistry.org), which allows officials and hospitals to recruit help for upcoming vaccine clinics.
“We encourage all medical and nursing students to register now so that they are ready when their help is needed.” said a health department spokeswoman.
Other states do not actively recruit nursing students. A spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Health said the state could do so later, as the vaccine will be more available to the public.
Depending on state licensing laws, medical and nursing students may administer vaccines, often under the supervision of a licensed professional.
Given the shortage of vaccinators, the Association of Immunization Managers, a nonprofit organization representing state and local health officials, recommends relaxing regulation or adjusting licensing requirements.
At least two states, Massachusetts and New York, have changed their laws in recent weeks to extend those that are eligible to shoot.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Dec. 13 allowed medical, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, podiatry and midwifery students to administer flu and COVID-19 vaccines under supervision.
Report by Tina Bellon and Melissa Fares in New York; Additional reports from Deena Beasley in Los Angeles; Edited by Michele Gershberg and Aurora Ellis