Keep up to date! Weekly update: January 31-February 6, 2022

The 400 million free N95 masks promised by the Biden administration are beginning to be distributed at participating pharmacies, including some pharmacies inside grocery stores, and some health centers. Participating stores include CVS, Walgreens, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket, Winn-Dixie Hy-Vee, Meijer, and Kroger, among others. Individuals can take up to three free masks. Participating pharmacies will have signs like this one to help you find where the free masks are being distributed

The CDC is encouraging community partners to promote public enrollment in V-safe, which provides personalized and confidential health check-ins via text messages and web surveys. This allows the public to quickly and easily share with CDC how you, or your dependent, feel after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. This information also helps CDC monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in near real time to help inform vaccination approaches, safety, and guidance. V-safe information sheets can be downloaded here in a variety of languages.

If you haven’t already, check out NRC-RIM’s CDC-supported “Vaccination Is” campaign, featuring a library of vaccine confidence resources in a variety of languages co-designed with migrant and refugee communities. Their Makespace page allows you to customize these with and for your communities.

Delaware

The Delaware Department of Public Health is conducting a needs assessment to better understand the needs of Delaware residents during the pandemic and to improve the overall health of communities in the future. You may receive a postcard in the mail, or a student or community volunteer may ask you to participate between now and the end of March 2022.

Delaware’s Public Health Director Karyl Rattay highlighted zip codes where vaccination rates for children ages 5-11 and 12-17 are particularly low. Only 27% of children ages 5-11 in Delaware are vaccinated.

Maryland has extended its open enrollment period to sign up for health insurance until February 28, 2022. You can sign up at marylandhealthconnection.gov. If you need assistance, call your local navigator.

In addition to the free N95 masks being distributed by the federal government, Maryland is distributing KN95 masks through local health Departments. Distribution sites in Wicomico County and sites in Somerset County are regularly updated on the Facebook pages for each health department.

The newly installed Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, amended an executive order in order to make masks optional in schools. Consequently, seven Virginia school districts filed a lawsuit against the governor on Monday, Jan. 24.

The Episcopal Farmworker Ministry published this helpful guide in Spanish about how KN95 and N95 masks should fit and how to care for them. You can call Espisocal Farmworker Ministry at 910-850-5883 or 919-815-9946 if you need KN95 or N95 masks at no cost.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services published these bilingual graphics to help you determine if you are up-to-date on your COVID-19 vaccinations.

If transportation issues are preventing you from getting your COVID-19 vaccine, the South Carolina Disability Vaccine Access Hotline may be able to help you arrange transportation! Call 1-800-787-6046 with all your questions.

CORE Georgia has produced a series of videos to encourage vaccination, like this one in English or this one in Spanish.

The Prevention Research Center at Georgia State published a series of videos in 20 languages to answer commonly asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccines.