The Fulton County Health Department Covid-19 testing site will feature new hours with the new year.
As of January 3, the site at the Fulton County Fairgrounds will have the following hours for drive- testing:
Monday, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Wednesday, 11:00 am - 6:30 pm
Friday, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Saturday, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
No appointment is required. Testing is free.
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As holiday celebrations continue, concern is rising for the nation’s blood supply, which has now dipped to concerninglevels and could force hospitals to hold off on essential blood and platelet transfusions for patients.
Historically low blood supply levels not seen in more than a decade persist for the American Red Cross, which supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood.The ongoing decline comes at a time of year when donations typically fall. Holiday get-togethers, school breaks and winter weather often lead to lower donor turnout, potentially further compounding the situation.
Potential donors are urged to schedule an appointment now by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
If there is not an immediate opportunity available to donate, donors are asked to make an appointment in the days and weeks ahead to ensure the Red Cross can replenish and then maintain a sufficient blood supply.
Those who come to give blood, platelets or plasma in January will automatically be entered for a chance to win a getaway to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. As an extra thank-you from the Red Cross, those who come to donate in January will also be automatically entered to win a home theater package and a $500 e-gift card. Terms apply; visit RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl for more information.
Blood drive safety
Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and?additional precautions?– including face masks for donors and staff, regardless of vaccination status – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are?asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive.
Save time during donation
Donors can also save up to 15 minutes at the blood drive by completing a RapidPass®. With RapidPass®, donors complete the pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of donation, from a mobile device or computer. To complete a RapidPass®, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Red Cross Blood Donor App.
To donate blood, individuals need to bring a blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification that are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements.
Health insights for donors
At a time when health information has never been more important, the Red Cross is screening all blood, platelet and plasma donations from self-identified African American donors for the sickle cell trait. This additional screening will provide Black donors with an additional health insight and help the Red Cross identify compatible blood types more quickly to help patients with sickle cell disease who require trait-negative blood. Blood transfusion is an essential treatment for those with sickle cell disease, and blood donations from individuals of the same race, ethnicity and blood type have a unique ability to help patients fighting sickle cell disease.
Donors can expect to receive sickle cell trait screening results, if applicable, within one to two weeks through the Red Cross Blood Donor App and the online donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.
This segment originally appeared in the Shopping Guide News of Fulton County on 12/21/2021
How long will the booster shots be required? More than once?
Our pharmacy team gets asked this question every day. In the future, the booster shot will likely be considered a third dose. Future protocols may call for 3 or maybe 4 vaccinations. Determining a vaccine protocol takes time. With this pandemic raging across the globe, scientists had to develop these protocols in real time. Many vaccines used today for prevention of other diseases require 3 or more doses to get the immune system primed to respond quickly.
There are four types of immunity. The type of immunity that vaccines stimulate is the type that is called active or adaptive immunity. Adaptive immunity means your immune system is adapting to new foreign invaders not seen before. Adaptive immunity requires a layered approach to mount a strong attack on an invading virus. Healthy immune systems produce a few different types of immune cells that develop when exposed to a vaccine or a virus. Vaccines introduce a foreign protein to your body’s immune cells. These immune cells then create ways to attach to and eliminate the foreign protein. With the Covid-19 vaccine specifically, the cells develop ways to attach and target the foreign spike protein that is a key part of the coronavirus.
If the virus is detected, immune cells multiply in large numbers to attack the invading Covid-19 virus and eliminate the invader. A healthy immune system will produce large numbers of immune cells on demand - only if needed. Thus, a few months after exposure, their numbers decrease naturally. However, healthy immune systems will continue to produce a few protective cells that continuously circulate in your body, looking for past foreign invaders. With each exposure or additional vaccination, your immune system gets more robust and responds faster.
It is important to realize immunity is not an absolute block from getting an infection. Especially if it has been several months since that foreign invader has been seen. If you are exposed to Covid-19 virus by an infected person for an extended period, the number of viral particles that you breathe in can number in the millions. With only a few guards at the gate, it is common for the virus to get into the body and start replicating. But because your immune system has seen this invader before, it can quickly jump into action and produce millions of fighting cells that neutralize the viral invader. Therefore, most vaccinated people getting exposed to Covid can fight it off without the need for hospitalization. But they will feel sick and be contagious for a few days.
With the holidays approaching and indoor gatherings occurring, active cases will continue to increase. This winter almost everyone will be exposed to one of these active variants. Getting the vaccine and the booster dose is your best way to minimize the impact this exposure will have on your health. In our country, the highly contagious Delta variant has been the dominate viral strain since late summer. But the new Omicron variant seems to be 3 times more contagious than Delta. Some believe that it may be as contagious as the measles virus. Cases of Omicron are doubling every 2-4 days and soon could become the dominate strain. United Kingdom researchers recently stated that people who are vaccinated and boosted were 85% less likely to develop severe illness from the highly mutated Omicron strain. But currently only 30% of US residents, that received the initial vaccine, have received a booster dose.
If hosting a holiday gathering with unvaccinated friends and family
If everyone is fully vaccinated and boosted amongst your friends and family your risks appear to be minimal.
There is certainly a lot of pandemic fatigue. We are all tired of these restrictions. Everyone wants to get back to normal. This all seems harsh and it’s easy to brush off this restrictive recommendation and consider it an overreach. But taking precautions will prevent illness, hospitalization, long term side effects and death. Its important to protect the vulnerable.
Will another vaccine dose be required in the future?
Only time will tell. Scientists are monitoring immune responses in those who have been boosted. If your immunity levels drop and active infections in our communities stay high, then an additional booster may be necessary. Additionally mutated strains may make the vaccine less effective. Vaccines may need to be tweaked to attack the mutated strain.
Many thought this pandemic had run its course this summer. New variants have emerged. Large numbers of unvaccinated people around the world continue to become ill and spread the virus. It is frustrating to see so many get severely ill locally when there is plenty of safe and highly effective vaccine available for free.
I strongly recommend everyone age 5 and older get fully vaccinated and, in most situations, get a booster dose when it is recommended.
To find your preferred vaccine in your county you can do any of the following:
For a vaccination at a Webb’s Family Pharmacy location, go to WebbRx.com to schedule your shot.
I appreciate the publication of this article by The Shopping Guide News of Fulton County and on fultoncountypost.com. If you found it helpful, please check out previous issues or go to the blog section of www.WebbRx.com to read answers to other pandemic related questions.
Harry R Webb, Pharmacist
Webb’s Family Pharmacy
Most Indiana tax forms for the 2022 Individual Income Tax season are now available online. However, the Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) is reminding Hoosiers to wait until they receive their official tax documents and statements before filing their 2021 tax return.
All employers are required to provide Form W-2’s to employees by Jan. 31, 2022. Other forms may be needed to file an accurate tax return, including documents on freelance or gig income, business income, investments, interest, or prize winnings.
Employers may continue to adjust annual wage and deduction amounts before sending the official Form W-2 to employees and related wage information to the IRS and DOR. Customers who use the information on their last paycheck of the year or other unofficial sources of information for tax purposes risk having to file an amended tax return with adjusted numbers. This can delay any tax refund due, cause the taxpayer to repay a tax refund received in error, or pay penalties and interest on any additional amount owed.
To download tax forms and find more information on what documents are required to file an Indiana Individual Income Tax return, visit DOR’s website, dor.in.gov.
Chuck Smith is the owner of Rochester’s Affordable Hearing Store. He’s in the mood to spread some Christmas cheer this season by providing the gift of hearing.
Smith says his second year in business was hard thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. But he and the store have seen a rebound. Now, he wants to share that with the community that’s been the spark.
Smith said he was influenced by learning about hearing aid missions.
So now, an opportunity for someone to benefit by a special giveaway by Smith. Interested parties can find an application at the store or online.
The chosen recipient is going to get a wonderful piece of technology.
Applications should be turned in by the end of December with the presentation to the person chosen sometime after the beginning of the year.
Again, the application can be found online at www.myaffordablehearing.com or pick up one at Affordable Hearing of Rochester, 418 E 9th Street.
This segment originally appeared in the Shopping Guide News of Fulton County
What are some of the myths or disinformation you have heard regarding the vaccination shots and booster shot?
This is a great question. It goes directly to one of the biggest challenges we face in a free society during a deadly pandemic. Disinformation and the ease at which it can be shared, has resulted in many people resisting to get the vaccine and practice safe practices such as social distancing and wearing face masks. This has also led to many preventable hospitalizations, debilitating illness, and deaths. Providing the news has always been a ‘for profit business.’ Mainstream television and radio news outlets, newspapers, magazines have always generated advertising revenue by providing news information. But today, the public has many additional sources of news and information thanks to the internet. The difference with social media is there are many that will say anything if it attracts attention. The popular social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tic Tok have huge followings. They designed the sites to keep the user entertained and engaged. They use algorithms (programming language) to keep the user on their platform as long as possible. The longer the user remains on the platform the more advertising revenue they can generate. Many celebrities and other creative users capitalize on the appeal of the platforms, and they become paid influencers. Some of these influencers get paid millions of dollars to keep providing content that keep users engaged. Social media platforms create programs to drive content towards each internet user based on user likes and engagement - regardless of accuracy and truth.
All this has created a perfect storm of disinformation. Platforms have recently taken steps to filter out disinformation, but many believe that makes the disinformation even more credible. A study this past spring, when vaccines were first rolling out, identified one dozen specific anti-vax influencers that were responsible for 65% of all the disinformation on social media. These 12 influencers are responsible for over 800,000 posts or shares. These posts were seen by millions. Many of the 12 were using the platform to market their own businesses and/or nutritional supplement lines. Their greed has resulted in a lot of mistrust and hesitancy. The consequence has been thousands of people killed by Covid, while influencers and social media platforms have made millions.
False claims of vaccines containing toxins, microchips and aborted fetus were common. And the more sensational the claim, the more it got shared and liked.
There are also a group of people that refuse to get vaccinated because they feel like they are being forced to do so. They strongly believe in their right to refuse and strongly oppose mandates. And I get it. We all are in the middle of this debate, and it certainly has polarized people into two groups. Unfortunately, it has been politicized into a binary choice about individual freedom. And in my opinion, that is where it all goes sideways. Of course, we all love our freedom and naturally get defensive when our freedoms are threatened. We fight wars over it.
Instead, the conversation simply needs to be about health choices. All the other information, believable or not should be ignored. The most important question is this... Do we take our chances and get Covid-19, or do we get the vaccine? This virus does not care who you voted for, your religious beliefs, what your coworkers or boss says, or what you read or viewed. This virus is so contagious no one will escape exposure.
As of November 2021, more than 7.8 billion doses of these vaccines have been given worldwide. These vaccines are proven to be extremely effective. While any vaccine has some risk and potential side effects, the health risks of these vaccines have been proven to be much less than the health risks of getting covid or spreading covid to the vulnerable.
According to the Indiana Department of Health, unvaccinated individuals account for 98.1% of Indiana's 1.08 million total COVID-19 infections, 99.96% of COVID-19 hospitalizations and 99.98% of COVID-19 deaths since the first coronavirus case was diagnosed in the Hoosier State on March 6, 2020.
Studies show people with a previous COVID-19 infection are 5 times more likely to get a second COVID-19 infection than a vaccinated person. The key with these vaccines is their ability to create immunity to the virus’s spike protein. - It is difficult to know if a naturally acquired immunity from previous COVID-19 infection targets spike protein. This unknown make variants more likely to cause a 2nd infection.
An article I read by Dhruv Khullar summed it up like this. “There are differences—morally, practically, emotionally—between being forced to feel afraid and choosing to be cautious”.
I strongly recommend everyone age 5 and older get fully vaccinated and, in most situations, get a booster dose when it is recommended.
To find your preferred vaccine in your county you can do any of the following:
For a vaccination at a Webb’s Family Pharmacy location, go to WebbRx.com to schedule your shot.
Regards,
Harry R Webb, PD
Pharmacist
Webb’s Family Pharmacy
Effective Jan. 1, 2022, three Indiana county income tax rates will increase, according to the Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR).
Local income tax rates are determined by county officials and provided to DOR for review regarding compliance with Indiana law.
Below are the three counties impacted along with their new tax rates:
These tax rates affect businesses with employees who live or work in any of these counties and have income tax withholdings.
Current rates for all Indiana counties are available on DOR’s website at dor.in.gov in Departmental Notice #1.
To view the complete list, click on “Legal Resources”, then “Tax Library”, followed by “Departmental Notices”.
This segment originally appeared in the Shopping Guide News of Fulton County
What is the difference between the Moderna, Pfizer and J& J vaccine?
The first vaccine that was approved in the United States was the Pfizer mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine. It is now fully FDA approved in all patients aged 12 and older. It is marketed under the brand name Comirnaty®. Messenger RNA vaccines deliver instructions to the cell to make a tiny protein on the surface of the cell that resembles the spike protein that the COVID-19 virus has on its outer surface. This spike that the vaccine creates does nothing, and you cannot get COVID-19 from this protein segment. The spike protein found on the actual coronavirus is how the virus attaches to the cell and starts the infection. Once your immune cells see this foreign protein, they create antibodies to destroy the protein. These antibodies will also attack the COVID-19 virus if you are exposed to the virus. And that’s how it helps prevent serious infection if you are exposed.
Scientists have been working on mRNA technology since the 70’s. The advantage of mRNA vaccines is they don’t have to be cultured or grown to produce the vaccine. The challenge has been to develop the carrier to deliver the delicate mRNA to the cells before the body destroys it. This new development will be used in many vaccines in the future and possibly cancer treatments.
Last month Pfizer also received emergency use authorization for their pediatric version of the vaccine. It can be given to children ages 5-11.
Moderna is also a mRNA vaccine and works very similar to the Pfizer vaccine. It has emergency use authorization for all patients 18+ years old. They both have been proven to be safe and effective. Both require two vaccinations to reach 95% protection. Immune response to any disease naturally diminishes with time.
J&J (Janssen) vaccine uses a more traditional method of delivering the instructions to the cell. Instead of using mRNA, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses a disabled adenovirus to deliver the instructions to a few of your cells to also grow spike proteins, like the other two vaccines. This adenovirus carrier is not related to the coronavirus. It is a completely different virus. This vaccine was initially promoted as a “one and done” vaccine. And it helps patients prevent infection approximately 70% of the time. It has emergency use authorization for all patients 18+ years old
Since these vaccines were introduced, the virus has mutated, and the prevalent delta variant is much more contagious than the strains that were around a year ago. Coming in close contact with a person that has an active infection can overwhelm your immune system at the point of attack. Good immunity requires multiple layers of antibodies and by getting an additional dose of any of these vaccines boosts your immune system. A robust immune system, strengthened by an additional dose of your chosen vaccine is more effective at blocking the delta variant infection.
So currently it is recommended that all vaccinated individuals consider an additional dose. With Pfizer the 3rd dose is like the first two and it is given 6 months after the 2nd dose.
Moderna booster is half strength, and it is also given 6 months after the 2nd dose.
J&J vaccine booster is full dose given 2 months after the first dose.
People are allowed to mix and match their vaccine based on availability, adverse reactions, or personal preferences. Many vaccines used today are given in multiple doses to maximize your immunity - for example the Polio and pneumonia vaccine. It is likely that these additional Covid-19 vaccine doses may be simply part of the vaccine treatment guidance.
As of November 2021, more than 7.8 billion doses of these vaccines have been given worldwide. These vaccines are proven to be extremely effective. Although no vaccine is without possible side effects - but most are minor. This vaccine is only in your body for about 4 days before your body destroys it. Your body creates an immune response, and then your immune system wipes it out. Potential adverse effects of a COVID-19 infection are many times greater than the vaccine side effects and can trigger long term complications and death.
Studies show people with a previous COVID-19 infections are 5 times more likely to get a second COVID-19 infection than a vaccinated person. The key with these vaccines is their ability to create immunity to the virus’s spike protein. It is difficult to know if a naturally acquired immunity from previous COVID-19 infection targets spike protein. This unknown make variants more likely to cause a 2nd infection. I strongly recommend everyone age 5 and older get fully vaccinated and, in most situations, get a booster dose when it is recommended.
Detailed information on any vaccine can be found at www.CDC.gov.
Regards,
Harry R Webb, PD
Pharmacist
Webb’s Family Pharmacy
This segment originally appeared in the Shopping Guide News of Fulton County
Are the Covid-19 vaccinations and booster free? Do I need insurance?
I get asked this question often. EVERYONE can get a COVID-19 vaccine for FREE. While the vaccine is free to everyone, providers such as pharmacies, health departments, Doctors, and hospitals are required to bill various insurance plans for an administration fee to cover the cost of providing the injection. Providers are reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, or traditional insurance for administering the vaccine. If you do not have insurance, it is still free because the federal government pays providers for administering vaccine to ALL uninsured people.
When going for your vaccination, please bring your ID, and all insurance cards. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
If you are over the age of 65, please bring your paper “Red White & Blue” traditional Medicare card. Medicaid patients should provide their traditional blue Medicaid card. Medicaid and Medicare managed care companies do not pay providers. All these requirements can be confusing, so it is best thing to bring all your insurance cards and the provider can choose the ones that are needed. If you have lost or misplaced your original Medicare card; call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and they will provide your number over the phone and issue a new card. If you have received a previous covid vaccination, please bring your proof of vaccination card.
In summary bring the following:
Can you just walk in and get the shot, or do you need to call ahead?
For most providers, appointments are preferred. All vaccine providers are very busy giving booster shots, first vaccine doses and seasonal flu shots. It is safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu shot at the same time.
To find your preferred vaccine in your county you can do any of the following:
Often you can get a shot scheduled the same day. The most efficient way to schedule your shot is to use the internet on your phone or computer. If you do not have internet access, call the provider and they will schedule a shot for you. Some providers do allow walk-in appointments. For a vaccination at a Webb’s Family Pharmacy location, go to WebbRx.com to schedule your shot.
The CDC now recommends all adults get vaccinated as soon as possible. Booster doses are also recommended.
It is recommended that all vaccinated individuals consider an additional dose as soon as it is possible based on the following timeline:
People are allowed to mix and match their vaccine based on availability or personal preferences.
If you have any questions about these important vaccines, please stop in any of our pharmacies and talk to our pharmacist.
Regards,
Harry R Webb, PD
Pharmacist
Webb’s Family Pharmacy
Fulton County Community Foundation hosted their annual #GivingTuesday event.
Pictured: LeeAnn Pollock
Community members and donors stopped by the Community Foundation office to contribute to the annual fundraising event.In celebration of #GivingTuesday, Fulton County donors contributed more than $98,000 to the Community Foundation.
The Community Foundation offered a $1 for $1 matching opportunity up to $10,000 in total; $5,000 supporting both the Lake Manitou Association Maintenance and Sustainability Fund and the Fulton County Promise Indiana 529 Fund. The Lake Manitou Association Maintenance and Sustainability Fund supports Lake Manitou Association’s efforts, such support shall be used for the health of the water resource through aquatic plant control and other essential maintenance projects. The Fulton County Promise Indiana 529 Fund helps families create saving accounts for higher education for the youth of Fulton County.The fundraising goals were met and exceeded due to generous donors.All gifts that were made to the Fulton County Community Foundation will help better the quality of life in Fulton County.
“#GivingTuesday might be an international day of giving but our local community has made it their own over the years,” said Fulton County Director of Development Brian Johnson. “We are so grateful to the generous donors who participated in #GivingTuesday and support our efforts every other day of the year.”
The Fulton County Community Foundation (FCCF) created the Lifetime Philanthropy Award to honor those who have made a positive impact in our community through philanthropic efforts. The award was presented on #GivingTuesday, November 30, 2021 to LeeAnn Pollock on behalf of the Baxter family.
The Baxter Family created the first ever fund, the Baxter Inc. fund, at the Northern Indiana Community Foundation. Over the years, the Baxter Family is responsible for starting a number of funds that go to support different causes in the community. In addition to the Baxter Inc. Fund, family members have also created the Ernest O. Baxter Fund, M.M. Fund, Baxter Family Pharmaceutical Scholarship Fund, Fulton County Cancer Fund, Fulton County Cancer Fund Endowment, Baxter/Pollock Family Engineering Scholarship Fund, and the Grace United Methodist Church Fund.
Ernest and Alice Baxter moved to Rochester in 1941 and established Baxter Drugs, which was a well-known drug store before becoming Webb’s Family Pharmacy in 1990. The couple were alsomembers of Grace United Methodist Church.Ernie was a part of the Woodlawn Hospital Board and well as a group ofDowntown Merchants who raised money for 23 years to help the downtown businesses offer over 300 off street parking spaces to the community. These efforts to help the community are still present to this day.
The next generations of Baxter’s were Parke and Fran Baxter, whomarried in 1949.Both graduated from Rochester High School. Following in the footsteps of his parents, Parke ran the Baxter Drug Store. Parke and Fran were also members of the Grace United Methodist Church. They helped establish and support the Rochester Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The couple was inducted into the RHS Athletic Hall of Fame for their support over the years both financially and attending events. Together, Parke and Fran were a huge part of the community. Parke was a memberof the Kiwanis Club, Fulton County Parks Board, and sat of the Rochester School Board when the high school was built. Fran was a Rochester School teacher for 35 years and coached middle school girls basketball for several years. Later in life, Fran served as an advisor to the Fulton County Cancer’s Non Permanent Fund.
LeeAnn Pollock, who accepted the award on behalf of her family, is the daughter of Parke and Fran. She and her husband Buddy continue the Baxter family tradition of being involved and giving back to the community. We at the Fulton County Community Foundation would like to publicly recognize this long legacy of giving to inspire others to give back to their communities through both dollars and efforts. Fulton County Community Foundation and Fulton County in general have greatly benefited from the three generations of Baxter Families’ efforts to improve their community.
The FCCF is so thankful for the generosity of the community this #GivingTuesday. Thank you, Fulton County.
Governor Eric J. Holcomb is directing flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the life of Senator Bob Dole.
Flags should be flown at half-staff at the Indiana Statehouse immediately until sunset on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021.
Gov. Holcomb also asks businesses and residents to lower their flags to half-staff.
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