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COVID-19 vaccine facts

Will a COVID-19 vaccine alter my DNA? No. COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way. Both mRNA and viral vector COVID-19 vaccines deliver instructions (genetic material) to our cells to start building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. However, ...

Vaccine remains ‘strongest’ prevention of COVID, IDPH says

Get vaccinated or increase your risk of suffering more severely from COVID-19. That’s the message from the Iowa Department of Public Health on the heels of an increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in recent weeks. “While there are multiple tools available to prevent ...

Friendship Haven sees breakthrough COVID cases

Seven Friendship Haven residents and five staff members, many of whom were vaccinated, have tested positive for COVID-19. Friendship Haven staff announced Monday that six residents in the River Ridge neighborhood and one resident in the Kenyon Place Apartments had tested positive for COVID-19. All of those residents have been vaccinated. In addition, five staff members throughout the campus have tested positive within the last week. Some of those staff have been vaccinated and some have not. Friendship Haven conducted surveillance testing Monday on all residents and staff in ...

COVID cases rising, health care leaders continue to encourage vaccines

While the COVID-19 vaccine has given many a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, less than half of Webster County residents eligible to receive the vaccine have elected to do so. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health’s coronavirus website, the current COVID-19 vaccination rate for Webster County is 45.9%, and active cases of the virus are increasing in the area. There are currently 108 active cases of COVID-19 in Webster County, with 79 in just the last week. According to Dr. Mike Willerth, chief medical officer at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical ...

COVID-19 delta variant circulating in Webster County

As new cases of COVID-19 begin to increase, as well as the introduction of new strains and variants of the virus, public health officials across the state are encouraging residents who have not yet been vaccinated to make an appointment to do so. “It is important to get vaccinated,” said Webster County Health Department Director Kari Prescott. “The vaccination is the best line of defense against COVID-19 and the delta variant and new strains as they evolve.” Prescott said she is concerned about the decreasing vaccination rates in the county while the highly contagious delta ...

Reaching rural populations

The Webster County Health Department has been busy in its effort to help more residents receive a COVID-19 vaccination. On Wednesday, outreach clinics were held in Dayton, Lehigh, Harcourt and Gowrie to help accomplish that goal. “It’s going really well,” said Kelli Bloomquist, ...