January 29, 2021 – Poweshiek County, Iowa – Poweshiek County Public Health will hold their first COVID-19 vaccination clinic for Phase 1B on Monday, February 1. Phase 1B will start with Tier 1, which includes individuals:
• 65 years and older
• First responders
• PK-12 staff, early childhood education, childcare workers
COVID-19 vaccines are available by appointment only. Walk-ins will not be accepted. COVID-19 vaccines are in short supply and not everyone who is eligible will be able to get vaccinated right away. Poweshiek County Public Health has received 300 doses to date for Phase 1B. Of those, 50 percent of the vaccine allocation will be dedicated to priority age populations, individuals age 65 or older, and 50 percent of the vaccine doses will go to priority population groups defined in Tier 1 by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), such as public safety and others, vulnerable to high risk of exposure.
Individuals that are 65 years and older can call Poweshiek County Public Health at (641) 236-2385 and follow the prompts to schedule an appointment. Persons in Tier 1 based on priority occupation will be communicated with through their place of employment and do not need to call public health. Check with your place of work for additional information.
The initial Phase 1B vaccine clinic on February 1 will be held in Grinnell. Appointments are required and walk-ins will not be accepted. Masks or face coverings must be properly worn over the nose and mouth; if you do not have one, a mask will be provided to you. A photo form of personal identification, such as state-issued driver’s license or passport, will be required during registration.
The availability of COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be based on vaccine supply. Additional vaccine clinics will be announced when more doses become available. There will not be a waitlist or pre-scheduling process – when a vaccine clinic is full, scheduling will pause until additional doses are received.
Updates regarding COVID-19 vaccine availability and vaccination clinics will be communicated on the Poweshiek County Public Health Facebook page and through local media outlets and community partners.
“Individual appointments will ensure that we are effectively utilizing all of our vaccine doses,” says Shauna Callaway, RN, BSN, director of Poweshiek County Public Health.
“Once we open a vaccine vial, we must use it within a certain timeframe. Scheduling appointments allows us to be good stewards of the vaccine doses we receive and do so in a safe manner.”
Callaway continues, “The vaccine allocation process remains fluid, and we don’t know the exact number of doses we will receive each week. What we do know is that there is a vaccine shortage everywhere, and it will take time before everyone who is eligible can receive their vaccine. We are grateful to our communities for being patient as we move forward in this new phase.”
Poweshiek County Public Health will work with local media outlets and community partners to share updates and notify residents when they are eligible to receive the vaccine. Poweshiek County Public Health urges everyone to stay vigilant and continue practicing public health measures to keep each other safe.
More information on IDPH state recommendations for vaccine distribution and COVID- 19 updates can be found at https://idph.iowa.gov/.
For updates and information from Poweshiek County Public Health, please follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PoweshiekCountyPublicHealth.
