Webster County Public Health, currently in Phase 1A, is hoping to enter Phase 1B of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout within the next two weeks, former Board of Health chair Linda Opheim said at a Thursday meeting.

The county is currently vaccinating nurses, dental providers, therapists and other health care providers covered by 1A. Opheim said UnityPoint Health – Trinity Regional Medical Center has received its second shipment of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to deliver the needed second dose of the vaccine to staff there.

“There’s approximately 975 people there we can check off our list,” Opheim said.

Though some members of the general public have been unhappy to hear that they do not qualify for vaccination in Phase 1A due to current state and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, she said “the process is working” and that the county is communicating well with residents in the county as well as surrounding counties’ public health agencies.

“We are in a vaccine shortage, so we really need to have consistency in the county on this rollout,” she said, emphasizing the need for communication with other counties about their rollout pace. “We don’t want to waste vaccines.”

The CDC reported last Tuesday that about 120,000 doses have been delivered to the state and about 60,000 Iowans have been fully inoculated. In December, Iowa leaders expected about 172,000 doses to be delivered by the end of the year. But even with the slower than projected start, CDC data shows that Iowa’s success is in line with most of its neighbors.

Opheim said Webster County Public Health also received news Thursday that Congress and the CDC approved mass funding for vaccination and testing efforts.

WCPH is hoping to receive its second allocation of vaccines within two weeks. Those in skilled nursing facilities will be vaccinated through state and federal contracts with CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens.

Though WCPH hopes to move into Phase 1B of the rollout within 10 to 14 days, Opheim cautioned that circumstances in the distribution can change expectations from day to day.

With current, unspecified shortages, vaccine availability to the general public is still not expected until at least April or May.