Washington County gets 600 doses of vaccine

WASHINGTON - The Washington County Public Health received 600 doses of the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday.

Washington County Public Health has worked with the Iowa Department Public Health, state and regional partners for the last several months to offer COVID-19 vaccine to residents of our county once available, according to a news release.

'Initial doses will be prioritized to people most vulnerable to the virus and those in critical industries as defined by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and Infectious Disease Advisory Committee,” said Public Health Director Danielle Pettit-Majewski,

Pettit-Majewski told the Washington County Board of Supervisors Tuesday that local officials do not make determinations regarding who receives a vaccine.

'We're getting guidance as to how the vaccine is distributed,” she said. 'We don't get to choose on the local level.”

The release states priority populations in Phase 1A will include long-term care residents, long-term care workers and health care workers with direct patient care.

At Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting, board Chairman Jack Seward Jr. asked if there are any plans to exclude those who have already had a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Pettit-Majewski said that the federal guidelines recommend that everyone, even those who have previously had COVID-19, receive the vaccine when they are eligible.

'Immunity wanes,” she said.

Supervisor Bob Yoder asked if the vaccine was effective on the recent new, more communicable strain of the virus that has been spreading in the United Kingdom.

'What they're saying right now is that the vaccine will be effective on this strain,” Pettit-Majewski said.

The press release also outlines plans as more vaccines become available.

The priority groups will open to allow additional groups and individuals to be vaccinated. Phase 1B will include essential front-line workers, and populations that are 75 years of age and older.

Phase 1C is anticipated to include essential workers; individuals age 65-74 and those 16-74 with high risk medical conditions. By mid-2021, enough COVID-19 vaccine should be available for anyone who wants a vaccine to receive it.

The recommendations are set by the federal government based on availability of vaccine and clinical trial outcomes.