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April 29, 2022

Rhode Island COVID-19 Partner Update

Four of Five Rhode Island’s Counties Remain at Medium-Risk Areas


Providence,  Kent, Newport, and Washington Counties remain medium-risk areas according to Rhode Island data using  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 Community Levels risk assessment. Bristol County is now a low-risk area.
 
Due to a data transfer issue, the April 28 updates to Rhode Island’s COVID-19 community levels on CDC’s website are incorrect. The COVID-19 community levels shown on RIDOH’s website are correct. We expect the issue will be resolved when CDC updates their community levels on May 5.
 
CDC determines risk level using three metrics: new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days.

If you are in a medium-risk area, RIDOH recommends taking additional precautions, including:

• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
• If you are immunocompromised or high risk, have a plan for testing and talk to your healthcare provider about protecting yourself.
• If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk, consider self-testing and wearing a mask when indoors with them.
• When indoors in crowded settings, consider wearing a mask regardless of vaccination status. This is especially important for people who are immunocompromised.
• Get tested if you have symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

If you test positive:

• Talk to your doctor about treatment (if you are immunocompromised, talk to your doctor about EVUSHELD)
• Stay home and use this calculator to determine how long you need to quarantine or isolate
• Use the RIDOH COVID-19 Survey to let people you were with know you tested positive.
• If you test yourself for COVID-19 at home, report your result to RIDOH at portal.ri.gov/s/selftest.
CDC’s full set of recommendation is available online.

401Health Update

A new version of the 401Health app has been released. Users should have received a “pop up” notification asking you to upgrade if you do not have auto updates enabled. If you have not upgraded to the new version by April 30, please manually update your 401Health app by downloading 401Health via the App Store or Google Play. If you have auto updates enabled on your device, no action is needed.
 

 
Federal programs are available to support access to COVID-19 testing for people without health insurance.

• Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) for COVID-19: CDC’s ICATT program can help you find where to get a free COVID-19 laboratory test. These tests can tell if you have a current COVID-19 infection. You’ll get a result usually within 24–72 hours after you get tested.
• Test To Treat Program: Through this program, people are able to get tested and – if they are positive and treatments are appropriate for them – get a prescription from a healthcare provider, and have their prescription filled all at one location. A Test to Treat locator is available to help find participating sites. A call center is also available at 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to get help in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages – 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. 
• Self-test distribution program: You can order free COVID-19 tests through the mail by visiting covidtests.gov. You won’t be asked for insurance information or payment information when you order your free tests.

• State-run test sites: If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone who tested positive, make an appointment at a State-run test site. Schedule your appointment online at portal.ri.gov or by calling 401-222-8022. You aren’t required to provide proof of insurance when scheduling your test or when you arrive at the site for your appointment.
• Local pharmacies and clinics: Some local pharmacies and clinics offer free COVID-19 testing to people who don’t have health insurance. These locations may only test you if have symptoms or are a close contact of someone who tested positive.  If you don’t have insurance, the pharmacy or clinic will submit the cost of your test to a federal program for the uninsured.

 
Project Firstline Rhode Island (PFL RI) is pleased to announce the launch of our new website and digital learning community! Our new web pages are optimized to provide easy-to-use and shareable education, training, and resources to healthcare staff, allied professionals, members of the public health workforce, and other workers.

PFL RI's NEW digital learning community equips workers with the understanding and confidence to apply infection prevention and control principles and protocols necessary to protect Rhode Island workplaces and communities from infectious disease threats.

Explore our new website today at https://www.projectfirstlineri.com!
 

 
To find all the ways you can make a vaccination appointment in Rhode Island, visit C19VaccineRI.org. This page also has information about COVID-19 vaccines and information about transportation to appointments.
 
If you are looking for a COVID-19 vaccine at a community site, like a school or a library, please click on Upcoming Community Vaccination Clinics. You can view clinics by city or town, date, or vaccine type. Online registration links are available at this page.
 
If you are looking for a COVID-19 vaccine at another site like a retail pharmacy or at a healthcare provider, click on Vaccines.Gov. This site will help you search by location and vaccine type. Phone numbers and registration links are available on this site.
 
If you are unable to leave your home and need to schedule an at-home vaccination, click on At-Home Vaccination. This list will tell you what phone number to call to make an appointment.

*The below clinic schedule may change. For the most complete and up to date community clinic information, please click on Upcoming Community Vaccination Clinics at C19VaccineRI.org.*
 
Saturday, April 30

• St. Peter’s and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 70 Pemberton St., Providence. 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna, J&J)
• CCRI Lincoln, 1762 Old Louisquisset Pike, Lincoln. 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)
• CCRI Newport, 1 John H Chaffee Blvd., Newport. 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)
• CCRI Warwick, 400 East Ave., Warwick. 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)

• Elmwood Church of God, 297 Elmwood Ave., Providence. 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)

• Bethel AME, 30 Rochambeau Ave., Providence. 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)
• Edward King House Senior Center, 35 King St., Newport. 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Moderna)
• Andreozzi Hall, 20 Libby Lane, Warren. 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. (Pfizer 12+)

• Smithfield Senior Center, 1 William J. Hawkins Jr. Trail, Smithfield. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Moderna).
• Conexion Latina Newport, 170 Broadway, Newport. 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)
• Ferri Middle School, 10 Memorial Ave., Johnston. 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)
• Curtis Corner Middle School, 301 Curtis Corner Rd., Wakefield. 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)

• Central Falls Housing – Forand Manor, 30 Washington St., Central Falls. 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)

• Lincoln Senior Center, 150 Jenckes Hill Rd., Lincoln. 10 a.m. - Noon. (Pfizer 12+, Moderna)
• Brownell Library, 44 Commons, Little Compton. 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)
• International Charter School, 334 Pleasant St., Pawtucket. 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11)
• West End Community Center, 109 Bucklin St., Providence. 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)
• McCoy Stadium, 1 Columbus Ave., Pawtucket. 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)

• Boys and Girls Club of Pawtucket, 1 Moeller Place, Pawtucket. 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna).
• Cranston Public Library – William Hall, 1825 Broad St., Cranston. 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)

• Olneyville Public Library, 1 Olneyville Square, Providence. 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)
• Cumberland High School, 2600 Mendon Rd., Cumberland. 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. (Pfizer 12+, Pfizer 5 through 11, Moderna)

 
COVID-19 Vaccine Update
 
Pfizer:
On April 26, Pfizer-BioNTech submitted data to the FDA for emergency use authorization of a booster dose for children age five through 11. Pfizer’s clinical trials showed that this age group built strong protection against COVID-19 after getting a booster dose. The trial also showed that there were no safety concerns for children age five through 11 getting a booster dose.
 
FDA will review the data and then decide whether to authorize booster doses for this age group. Then, the CDC will make a recommendation. The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) will wait for the CDC statement, as has been our practice.
 
Pfizer-BioNTech Press Release: https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-submit-application-us-emergency-use

Moderna: 
On April 28, Moderna submitted a request for emergency use authorization (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 23 months and its COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 2 years through 6 years.

Download RIDOH’s latest podcast
 
Did you know RIDOH has a podcast? The Public Health Out Loud podcast delves into the broader public health concerns and issues facing everyday Rhode Islanders. In this week’s episode, you’ll hear co-hosts Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan talk about their roads to becoming doctors, and their journeys into public health. What did Dr. Chan’s time as an ambulance driver teach him about medicine? What made Dr. McDonald decide to drop his undergraduate major in photography? Download this week’s episode to learn more.