LYNN — As city councilors asked Public Health Director Michele Desmarais questions on COVID-19 testing, vaccination efforts and how to solve problems in hospitals dealing with virus exposure, she said the solution is not simple.
“Health care is changing,” said Desmarais. “Health care will never be the way we remember it before 2020.”
Desmarais provided an update on testing and vaccination efforts to the City Council on Tuesday night. Several councilors expressed concern about their constituents’ ability to receive a test.
Ward 3 Councilor Coco Alinsug read a letter from one of his constituents about an 88-year-old woman who went to receive surgery at Salem Hospital, and was notified that she was exposed to someone who had COVID-19 after she was discharged. He said the woman did not receive a test from the hospital, her doctor or at Lynn Health Community Center.
Desmarais said she also read the letter, and the woman received a rapid test via a hospital staff member dropping it off at her house. When asked by Alinsug about what hospitals should do, Desmarais said there is not much she can do personally.
“How do you make physicians do what they claim they can’t do?” Desmarais asked. “It’s lack of staff, lack of time they have to give to immunize, and the pictures are far bigger than this and far bigger than me.”
Councilor-at-Large Brian LaPierre asked about testing efforts in the city, and if the city had used all of the rapid at-home tests provided by the state.
Desmarais said the city will seek to buy more testing kits, following the distribution of 31,000 at-home rapid tests provided by the state. The tests were distributed by the Lynn Fire Department and Police Department on Dec. 23 at Manning Field, and by members of City Hall on Dec. 29.
Desmarais said Lynn has more than 100,000 residents and having only 31,000 tests puts the city at a disadvantage.
“We were given around 30,000 tests from the state and Lynn has a population of over 100,00 people,” said Desmarais. “We were at a detriment at the beginning.”
Desmarais also told councilors that as of Tuesday night, 69,171 residents are fully vaccinated and 78,360 have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The vaccine clinics administering doses are Lynn City Hall, North Shore Community College (NSCC), Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) and Mass General Brigham.
She said LCHC only offers vaccinations for registered patients and Mass General Brigham has a mobile vaccination site at the Brickyard Collaborative.
Desmarais said NSCC, LCHC and Mass General Brigham also offer COVID-19 testing, and the “Stop the Spread” Project Beacon testing site at 398 Blossom St. will offer drive-up testing until March 31.
Despite their questions, the City Council applauded Desmarais’s efforts as public health director.
Ward 5 Councilor Dianna Chakoutis said Desmarais and her staff have helped to create and run the vaccination clinics.
“All the extra time you guys spent over the past two years; you’ve been an unbelievable help,” said Chakoutis.
Ward 2 Councilor Rick Starbard agreed with Chakoutis, saying that the department’s work was responsible for him being able to receive a booster shot.
“Last week I went in for a booster next door and it ran like clockwork,” Starbard said. “I just want to thank you.”
