End of COVID-19 healthcare emergency does mean changes for some
The May 11th end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency might not make much of a change for most people, but for others it means a step back to pre-pandemic times.
“No more masks,” said Tim Stoll, executive director of Thurston Woods Village retirement and care facility in Sturgis. “We are all thrilled with that information.”
Jayne Sabaitis, executive director at Branch County’s Maple Lawn nursing and rehab facility, echoed the relief.
“No masks, unless we have a positive case in the building," she said.
Another change Sabaitis said, “Testing. We will only test people who are symptomatic. There is no routine testing for any staff, regardless if they are vaccinated or not.”
Branch Hillsdale St. Joseph Community Health Agency Health Officer Rebecca Burns said, “The end of the PHE doesn’t mean COVID-19 is over. The health agency will continue providing and encouraging vaccinations, conduct disease monitoring, investigate outbreaks, share guidance and resources as needed.”
Health officials and doctors confirmed dozens of cases in the three-county district last month.
The risks remain for those over 60 and those with compromised immune systems.
Maple Lawn changed its entrance screening. The center no longer uses temperature scanning.
Sabaitis said, “We’ve changed it to just one question that just says, ‘Do you have any signs or symptoms of illness’? If you do, please delay your visit.”
Other care facilities use the same procedures.
Positive cases among patients and staff are still reported to the health agency. Those levels remain low statewide. Sabaitis said, “They will tell us if we need to mask within the building or not based on the community levels.”
“We’ve not had any in five months," Stoll said of case breakouts. His staff still wears K-95 masks if there have been any chance of exposure.
Maple Lawn reported staff cases in the last few weeks, preventing those employees from working.
At Sturgis Hospital, masks are now optional, with no temperature checks. As you enter, staff still asks if you are ill or have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 10 days.
ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospitals uses the same screening.
The three-county health agency is no longer scheduling COVID-19 vaccination appointments online. Call your local agency office to schedule an appointment for any COVID-19 primary or booster dose and speak to the clinic staff.
Health agency prevention director Kali Nichols said the first Moderna and Pfizer monovalent vaccines are no longer authorized. The only vaccines now given are the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 doses administered to individuals six months and older.
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Federal, state, and local health agency officials still recommend individuals isolate themselves from others when sick and monitor for signs of illness if you had a known exposure.
Individuals who experience COVID-19 symptoms should continue to take precautions and seek medical care and treatment as appropriate.
Sabaitis said, “We basically are treating Covid like we’ve treated the flu for years. That’s the system that’s in place.”
---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: End of COVID-19 healthcare emergency does mean changes for some
