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More vaccination clinics planned in FD

New slots open Wednesday

As Webster County Public Health (WCPH) plans more COVID-19 vaccination clinics this week, some neighboring counties will receive the first shipments of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, the third one approved for use in the U.S.

As Iowa hit a milestone this week with 100,000 vaccination doses distributed, Webster County announced a vaccination clinic offering a second dose to those who received their first on Feb. 6, meaning the county soon will have its first full group of completely inoculated residents.

Those booster doses will be given at 10 a.m. Saturday at Crossroads Mall.All appointment times will be the same as what residents had at their first clinic on Feb. 6. Reminder calls will be sent out on Friday.

Another vaccine clinic for seniors age 65 and older who are not actively sick or in public health isolation will be held at the mall on Thursday starting at 4 p.m. All vaccines will be made available by telephone appointment only.

Appointment slots for qualifying residents wanting to receive their first vaccination shot on Thursday will open at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Call 515-227-7104 for an appointment. Only two appointments can be made per phone call and the phone line will close as soon as slots are filled.

While scheduling your appointment, provide your name, date of birth, address and phone number.

When arriving at the clinic, also remember the following:

• Arrive no more than 10 minutes before your scheduled time.

• There will be a 15-minute wait time after you receive your vaccination.

• Dress in layers so your arm is accessible.

• If you can, arrange for someone to drop you off at the west entrance of the mall.

• Park in the lot in front of the mall entrance on the west side. Overflow parking area will be behind Ja-Mar Drive-In.

• Only those receiving the shot will be allowed in the clinic.

• Masks are required.

• If you arrive at the mall without an appointment, you will be turned away.

• Have a copy of your insurance information for the clinic. Insurance is not required to make an appointment, but will be used to cover the nominal fee charged to insurance for administering the vaccines. If you do not have insurance, you will not be turned away. Medicare covers this fee.

Those unable to attend Saturday’s clinic for their second dose should call Webster County Public Health as soon as possible at 515-573-4107.

Those with plans to receive their vaccinations at Daniel Pharmacy or Hy-Vee should not make a duplicate appointment with Public Health.

Though nearly 10,000 county residents are eligible for the vaccine under Phase 1B, the county continues to receive limited amounts of the vaccine.

“Please remember that this is going to take time,” said Kelli Bloomquist, public information officer for WCPH. “We are utilizing the vaccine as quickly as we receive it with logistics and planning going into place before we receive the next week’s shipment.”

WCPH continues to ask the public to be patient, kind and understanding.

“Until enough vaccine is available, this is going to take time and patience from everyone,” Bloomquist said.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, approved for emergency use by the FDA on Sunday, may benefit Webster County in the future. But first, it will be distributed to a selection of counties with significant Phase 1B and Tier 2 populations who are essential frontline workers in industries that make social distancing unfeasible. Buena Vista and Wright counties, both home to meat packing plants, are two of 17 counties splitting the first Iowa shipment of 25,600 doses.

“This approach will ensure that local public health can coordinate with employers on the quick administration of COVID-19 vaccine to essential workforces who have been disproportionately affected by the virus,” the Iowa Department of Public Health said in a Tuesday news release.

The vaccine, which differentiates itself from Moderna’s and Pfizer BioNTech’s through one dose instead of two, can be transported more easily with normal refrigeration temperatures. It is 85% effective.

In total, Iowa has been allocated 91,100 doses of the new vaccine option.

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