Marion has received its delayed shipment of second doses of COVID-19 vaccine for its age 75+ residents who received their first dose through the town’s COVID-19 inoculation clinic back in February.
On March 2, the Marion Board of Health learned that it would have to reschedule its COVID-19 vaccine clinic slated for that following Thursday because a vaccine shortage in the state had delayed the delivery of the 100 doses. That vaccine clinic was rescheduled for Thursday of this week, March 18, still within the suggested 28 to 42-day timeframe the vaccine manufacturer recommends for the window to receive the second dose, said Public Health Nurse Lori Desmarais.
Unfortunately, she said, any tentative plans for hosting any future vaccination clinics for Tri-Town educators have been abandoned after Desmarais said the state has confirmed that it would maintain its focus on providing vaccine doses to mass-vaccination sites only and jettisoning its prior support for local vaccine distribution.
Desmarais reported that there are currently six active COVID-19 cases in Marion for a total of 381 since the onset of the pandemic one year ago.
Sippican School currently has four active cases with a total of 35 since schools reopened this past fall. There are presently three people in quarantine.
Old Rochester Regional Junior High School has one active case, none in quarantine, and has had 25 cases since the fall. There are no active cases currently over at ORR High School; five are in quarantine, and that school has had 78 confirmed cases total.
Tabor Academy continues to do well with its routine COVID-19 testing, said Desmarais, with the school continuing to screen students and staff that present with potential COVID-like symptoms.
Sippican Healthcare Center has gone 32 days since its last reported positive case.
Desmarais said she would be resuming her clinical hours from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm every Wednesday at the Cushing Community Center for senior citizens beginning April 7. She said she had received multiple requests for blood pressure checks and, since the majority of those seniors have now been vaccinated, she can resume the weekly health clinics safely.
In other business, the board will be reviewing a draft set of regulations that control body art, such as tattoos and piercings. The interest comes as a new tattoo parlor sets up shop in Marion, which currently does not have its own set of adopted safety standards and regulations.
“I would enforce these things like I do for food-service establishments with annual inspections [and] do site inspections before opening,” said Health Agent Anna Wimmer.
Board of Health Chairman Dr. Edward Hoffer hopes to hold the public hearing as soon as the public hearing’s required legal posting can be accomplished.
Shortly before the meeting, Hoffer and Brown attended a joint meeting with Rochester Board of Health members Dale Barrows and David Souza to approve splitting the $27,910 annual amount for Karen Walega’s retirement as the former health director of the Marion-Rochester Regional Health District.
The health district dissolved last year and Walega remained in Rochester as its part-time health agent.
The total includes $19,935 in pension, $1,674 for insurance, and $1,500 in bookkeeping costs. Hoffer said the town administrators from both towns recommend each town create a new budget line item for the assessment.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health will be held on Tuesday, April 6, at 4:00 pm.
Marion Board of Health
By Jean Perry