JIC RELEASE NO. 828 - COVID-19 Updates: Test Results: 103 New Cases, 44 Hospitalized; DPHSS Receives Support from CDC and HHS; COVID Results Email Service Temporarily Unavailable; Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Booster Village Clinic Schedule

44 Hospitalized for COVID-19

SPECIAL NOTE: Based on today's data, if we were to compare two (2) hypothetical populations of 100,000 people each, vaccinated versus unvaccinated, there would be 14 vaccinated people hospitalized for COVID-19 compared to 185 unvaccinated people hospitalized for COVID- 19. The risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19 is about 13 times higher for the unvaccinated as compared to the vaccinated.

COVID-19 Test Results: 103 New Cases of COVID-19 
Today, the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) reported 103 new cases of COVID-19 out of 1,247 tests performed on October 20. Thirty-four (34) cases were identified through contact tracing. To date, there have been a total of 17,379 officially reported cases, 226 deaths, 2,355 cases in active isolation, and 14,798 not in active isolation. The CAR Score is 16.8.

COVID Results Email Service Temporarily Unavailable
The email address used to request for COVID-19 test results is temporarily unavailable. DPHSS is working with the Office of Technology to address the matter immediately. Anyone who sent an email or request to covidresults@dphss.guam.gov within the last 24 hours and has still not received a response is asked to contact the Northern Region Community Health Center at 635-7525/6 to request for a copy of their COVID-19 test results. Once the COVID results email service has been restored, DPHSS will notify the public.

DPHSS Receives Support from CDC and HHS 
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has committed to send a team of deployers to Guam to support case investigation and address the “dead on arrival” (DOA) cases related to COVID-19. This commitment to support Guam was made in response to a request by the Director of DPHSS, Mr. Arthur San Agustin  to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky earlier this month.

Three additional members from the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) arrived last week and one member who previously arrived in October was extended for another 30 days. The four clinical laboratory scientists are assigned specific roles at the Guam Public Health Laboratory. All four are highly skilled U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) senior officers providing technical laboratory assistance to GPHL.

For more information, visit dphss.guam.gov/covid-19-testing. 

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Booster Village Clinic Schedule
COVID-19 vaccine booster village clinics are being offered by DPHSS in partnership with the Mayors’ Council of Guam for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine recipients who completed their initial two-dose series at least 6 months ago and are 65 years and older. For appointments, register at tinyurl.com/covidstopswithme or call your village mayor:

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Booster Shots Available 
Booster Shots are available at the University of Guam Calvo Field House for people who had a normal immune response to the first two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, but because of time, antibody levels are beginning to wane. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only FDA authorized vaccine to administer as a booster. The following groups of people are eligible for a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech if they completed the Pfizer-BioNTech series (first two doses) and it has been 6 months or more since the second dose:

• Anyone age 65+
• Anyone age 18+ with underlying medical conditions
• Anyone 18+ with an elevated risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission due to their occupation (e.g. healthcare workers, law enforcement, fire, K-12 teachers and support staff, university faculty, daycare employees, food and agriculture workers, manufacturing workers, USPS workers, corrections workers, public transit workers, grocery store workers) or living settings

If eligible, please make your Booster Shot appointment at tinyurl.com/vaxguam. Walk-ins are accepted but should be prepared for longer wait times. 

Guam COVID-19 Vaccination Update
As of October 20, 50 additional residents received their first dose in a two-dose series, 10 residents received their dose in the single-dose series, and an additional 97 residents have become fully vaccinated. To date, a total of 122,662 (89.93%) of Guam’s eligible population (residents 12 years and older) is fully vaccinated. This percentage includes 11,924 fully vaccinated residents between the ages of 12 – 17, and 110,638 fully vaccinated adults. 7,111 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been administered to eligible residents as either a booster or an additional dose. 183 doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered as an additional dose to eligible residents.