COVID-19 vaccination clinics proceed as scheduled

Vaccination clinics for the COVID-19 virus proceeded as planned in Hancock County last week.

So far, 570+ persons 65 and older who meet the State’s Tier 1B criteria were vaccinated at clinics held at the Duncan Community Center the past two weeks.

Hancock County Community Health has also held vaccination clinics for school staff at the West Hancock and Garner-Hayfield-Ventura School Districts.

As of Monday, Feb. 22, 1,153 persons have started the vaccination series, 382 have completed the series (2 injections) for a total of 1,535 (14.44 percent), according to information on the Iowa Department of Public Health website: https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/pages/vaccineinformation.

Earlier this month Hancock, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Poweshiek and Washington Counties were notified by the Iowa Department of Human Services they would not be receiving their shipment of vaccine that week because the counties reportedly lagged below administering 80 percent of their vaccination allotment for the previous week.

The counties, however, ultimately did receive their shipments of the Moderna vaccine.

During an interview with Radio Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds said the five counties would get their doses. A variety of factors, including bad weather, prevented the counites from dispending first doses, according to Reynolds.

A statement issued by Hancock County Health System Community Health said Hancock County Health System’s Community Health director and leaders successfully worked with the Governor’s Office, the Iowa Department of Public Health and MercyOne to secure COVID-19 vaccine to continue with the planned vaccination clinics.

 “Please call Community Health at 641-923-3676 (and when prompted dial “2”) if you have questions about your COVID-19 vaccine appointment. If you have previously called or filled out the electronic form, please know that your name remains on our list. We will notify you with an appointment time as we work through the list. Thank you.”

 In an earlier statement HCHS said, “We look forward to the allocation of doses in the upcoming weeks and assure area residents we will continue to hold vaccination clinics as soon as vaccine is received. We are happy to hear from several of those vaccinated the wait list system in place has been well received and is highly effective. Vaccine recipients at our clinics also have given us positive feedback on the timeliness of their appointments and the warm, helpful response from those staffing our clinics."