News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Mary Sharako prepares an enbrel injector so she can take her medication. Sharako was diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis, lupus, and ankylosing spondylitis and was prescribed biological medication. She said she is holding off on getting the new COVID-19 vaccine until studies prove it is safe for her to use.

Residents in Northeast Michigan have mixed feelings about the prospect of getting the new COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes more readily available.

Concerns about the long-term health impacts and potential side-effects have made some people hesitant to get the shots, while others believe getting the vaccine will help return life to how it was before the coronavirus pandemic began.

Mary Sharako suffers from Psoriatic arthritis, lupus, and ankylosing spondylitis and is prescribed biological medication.

She said there are still a lot of unknowns about the vaccine and she is curious to see what ongoing studies reveal. She said the vaccine could impact people, including herself, unknowingly.

“I want more information on studies having to do with preexisting autoimmune disorders, people on immune compromising bio meds, and allergic reactions to medications,” she said. “Then I’ll decide later.”

Marty LaHaie said he rarely gets ill, and believes because he takes good care of his health, the virus would probably have a limited impact on him.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “The last time I even had so much as a cold was six years ago. I’m healthy and have an extremely strong immune system. I will gladly be passing it up for someone who needs to get it quicker.”

There are people who can’t wait to get vaccinated. Andy Long said when he is able to, he intends to receive the two doses of the vaccine.

“I’m tired of worrying that I could give the virus to my vulnerable family members,” Long said.

There are some people who have already lived through being infected with COVID-19 who said they would jump at a chance to get the vaccine, because they now know how serious the illness can be.

Alpena County Emergency Services Coordinator Mark Hall was a leader in the fight against the virus early in the pandemic and worked hard to make sure local healthcare professionals had the appropriate personal protection equipment.

In late November, he contracted the virus and ended up in the hospital very ill. The vaccine wasn’t available when he became infected, but he said knowing what he does now, he would absolutely take the vaccine.

“I know that I have a different perspective than some other people as it tried to kill me,” Hall said. “If you ever had a really bad case of COVID-19 this is an easy decision as you never want it back. I do understand why people who have not gotten it, or the people that were lucky enough to get a mild case might be struggling with this decision.”

In the area healthcare workers, and emergency first responders have begun to get vaccinated. It is expected the elderly and people most at risk from underlying conditions will be next in line to get the shots.

Mass availability for the general public may not be available until the spring. For some people, the wait will allow them to learn more about the vaccine and see now those who have been injected with it, are fairing.

“I’m in no hurry to be honest,” Raymond Edwards said. “All of this happened so fast and we have been scrambling to react to it since it started. When you scramble, and hurry, that is when mistakes are made. I’m open to getting the vaccine, but I just want to sort of watch from the outside right now.”

Another Montmorency County resident died after being infected with COVID-19, local public health officials said Thursday.

Public health officials on Thursday reported 15 newly infected Northeast Michiganders, including six Alpena County residents and nine Presque Isle County residents. No new infections were reported for Montmorency or Alcona County residents

That means that, as of Thursday, 1,517 Northeast Michiganders were actively infected, meaning they’d been confirmed infected with COVID-19 but have not recovered or died, and could infect others.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services did not release any data on Thursday. Data will not be released by the state nor local health departments on Friday because of the Christmas holiday.

Since the pandemic hit Michigan in mid-March, 1,931 Northeast Michiganders have been infected, according to local public health agencies. Of those, 369 have recovered and 45 have died.

News Staff Writer Crystal Nelson contributed to this story.