COVID-19 vaccine available to Clayton County residents 65 and older starting this week
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The COVID-19 vaccine will be available to Clayton County residents 65 and older beginning this week.
According to a press release, the Clayton County Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) has received 200 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for phase 1B of Iowa’s distribution plan, targeting those who qualify based on age. Individuals 65 or older are eligible for the vaccine at any time during phase 1B.
“Please remember that vaccine allocations are limited. The Clayton County VNA will work directly with IDPH and our local healthcare providers to distribute the vaccine as quickly as possible,” the release stated.
Those who qualify based on these age guidelines may call the following locations for appointment information and scheduling:
•Guttenberg Hospital and Clinics: Call (563) 252-5571 from 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Outside the hours listed, individuals may leave a message with their name and number for a staff member to return a call.
•Medical Associates Elkader: Call (563) 245-1717 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
As additional vaccine allocations become available through the state, Clayton County will continue vaccinating those 65 or older, adding a third vaccine administration site through MercyOne Elkader Medical Center, then begin moving through eligible individuals in the tiered groups within phase 1B. That includes:
•Tier 1: First responders (firefighters, police officers and child welfare/social workers), preK-12 school staff and early childhood education and childcare workers
•Tier 2: Food, agriculture, distribution and manufacturing workers who work in or live in congregate settings that do not allow for social distancing and individuals with disabilities living in home settings and their direct care staff
•Tier 3: Staff of and individuals living in congregate settings (excluding college dorms) and government officials engaged in state business at the Iowa capitol during legislative session
•Tier 4: Inspectors responsible for hospital, long-term care and child safety
•Tier 5: Correctional facility staff and incarcerated individuals
As it moves through the tiers, Clayton County public health said it will work with businesses and entities who qualify. Those businesses/entities can contact Clayton County VNA at (563) 245-1145 for further information regarding next steps.
“We anticipate increased vaccine doses in the coming weeks and will work with our local partners to make them available as quickly as possible,” said the press release.
Vaccine administration has gone well so far
Phase 1A administration of the vaccine to health care workers and long-term care facilities, which were the priority groups identified by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), went well in Clayton County, said Dr. Michele Dikkers, who is a physician at Cornerstone Family Practice and Guttenberg Municipal Hospital and Clinics and chair of the Clayton County Board of Health.
“There were no big glitches and we got the vaccine we needed,” she shared. “The state told us allocation is based on the population of the county and that it would be sent out in weekly allotments to use as needed.”
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, as of Jan. 25, 984 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered to Clayton County residents, some of whom have received their second doses.
“It’s very exciting,” said Dikkers. “It’s our first step in trying to tackle this virus.”
Clayton County has received only the Moderna vaccine, due to inability to store Pfizer doses at ultra-cold temperatures. The vaccine comes in lots of 100, with 10 doses per vial. Once opened, a vial is good for six hours.
“So you want to have all 10 people there,” Dikkers said, “because you can’t just put it in the refrigerator until tomorrow. So it’s a challenge to use it up in that time.”
Group regularly planning
Dikkers said a county coalition has been meeting weekly since the start of the pandemic, collaboratively tackling issues like where to send PPE and how to treat patients. Over time, that’s morphed into a vaccine meeting.
“Weekly, public health and the Elkader and Guttenberg hospitals and clinics talk about how we’re going to roll it out, how many doses we have, what to do with them and how people will get it,” she explained. “Our public health nurses do this daily.”
Planning can be difficult based on the release of federal and state recommendations. It’s been only two weeks since Iowa released a plan for phase 1B.
“They finally said who was in our group 1B,” Dikkers said, “but then they’re like, ‘Hang on. We might change our mind.’ The phases may change and they may not. Everyone is doing the best they can.”
General public won’t see vaccine until at least spring
Clayton County VNA said COVID-19 vaccinations for the general public are not expected to be available until spring.
“Information on vaccine availability for the general public will be shared as it becomes available,” it said.
At that stage, Dikkers anticipates the vaccine will be administered through vaccine clinics in collaboration with health care providers and pharmacies. She said there are still questions surrounding Clayton County residents getting the vaccine outside the county, or even outside the state, if they receive routine medical care in Wisconsin.
“Within the state, there’s flexibility to go to other counties. For example, if you live in Clayton County but work in Dubuque County at John Deere, you should probably get vaccinated at work so they know everyone is vaccinated,” she said.
“In public health’s opinion it doesn’t matter,” she added. “We just want everyone to get vaccinated.”
Dikkers stressed the importance of getting the vaccine when it becomes available to your group.
“Get in line and get it so the next person can get it,” she said.
Doctor touts vaccine safety
Some people have expressed concerns about receiving the vaccine during this early stage, but Dikkers said it’s very safe. Of the two FDA-approved vaccines, Pfizer’s trial included 40,000 volunteers while the Moderna study had 30,000.
“Of the volunteers that developed COVID-19 after being vaccinated, only 5 percent of them had received the vaccine. The other 95 percent that became ill with COVID-19 had received the placebo, or the non-vaccine injection,” Dikkers explained.
Side effects of receiving the vaccine may occur, and could include soreness or redness at the site of the injection, fever, chills, fatigue and headache.
“It felt like any other vaccine, like tetanus, where I had a sore arm for a day or two,” Dikkers said.
The side effects are listed as only lasting 24 hours and are considered a normal reaction. Vaccine administrators watch patients for 15 to 30 minutes following injection in case there are immediate adverse reactions. Instances of Bell’s palsy or severe allergic reactions have been rare.
Dikkers noted the technology for these first two vaccines was developed in 1990 and its use as a vaccine has been studied for 10 to 15 years.
“Yes, this is a different virus and we don’t know the exact data, or exactly how long immunity will be—if we’ll need a booster later,” she said. “But we’ve done vaccines before, and they’ve been very successful. Trust the science: CDC, Mayo, Johns Hopkins, public health.”
Even after being fully vaccinated, Dikkers said people should continue to wear masks, wash their hands and watch their distance until the country sees a significant drop in cases and deaths.
“We all need to take care of each other,” she stressed.
