State reverses decision to withhold vaccines

Washington County will receive its weekly allocation of COVID-19 this week after all.

Public Health Director Danielle Pettit-Majewski was notified Monday morning that the state reversed its decision to withhold this week's vaccine allocation.

'I had heard that the governor said that she would look at the numbers at the end of the day Friday,” Pettit-Majewski said.

She said she contacted the Iowa Department of Public Health to explain that the county had administered all of its vaccine doses by the end of last week.

The state announced on Thursday that Washington County was one of five counties that did not administer at least 80 percent of its vaccines on hand.

The problem: A mass vaccination clinic for people age 65 and older in Wellman originally scheduled for Feb. 6 had to be postponed to Feb. 11 because of a blizzard.

Pettit-Majewski said that the county's vaccine allocation of 300 doses, which usually arrives on Tuesday, will arrive on Friday.

'That puts us in a better place,” she said, noting that there is a closed clinic for educators scheduled for Friday and another mass vaccination clinic for people age 65 and older on Monday.

'Since we're getting all of our allocation, we'll be able to serve other school districts next week,” Pettit-Majewski said.

Monday's mass vaccination clinic will be at the Washington YMCA. Washington County residents can call 319-653-3030 to make an appointment.

Pettit-Majewski said she has no concerns about not meeting the state's 80 percent 'burn rate” threshold.

'We know we'll be getting our allocated doses, and we'll be able to serve the community,” she said. 'That's all we want to do.”