Q&A with Colette

If slow and steady wins the race, Clay County Public Health officials are more than ready to run a marathon.

Rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine has entered its second full month. While the pace has been slow, there hasn't been a shortage of arms for the shots that have been allocated to Clay County.

Colette Rossiter, Clay County Public Health coordinator, is looking forward to getting many more people inoculated in the coming months. While some residents might be growing anxious about when their number will get called, she said public health officials expected the initial rollout phase to be slow as the nation's vaccine supply builds.

Describe the vaccine rollout process in Clay County, and what phase and tier you are in.

As of Feb. 1, Clay County and all of Iowa were permitted to begin vaccinating people who meet criteria for Priority Group 1B, which includes five tiers. All those age 65 years and older are eligible to be vaccinated in Priority Group 1B, during any of the five tiers. The Iowa Department of Public Health encourages each county health department to use approximately half of their weekly vaccination allocation to immunize those in the current tier, which is Tier 1, and the other half towards vaccinating those age 65 and older.

Overall, how have things been going?

Our vaccination clinics are running very smoothly. We have outstanding support from our local health partners, especially Spencer Hospital, and many others. The biggest challenge is the demand to be immunized is far greater than our current weekly vaccine allocation. We understand that so many people are frustrated when they can't get an appointment to be immunized. We share their frustration, yet can't schedule immunization appointments for vaccine we do not have.

Iowa ranks near the bottom of the list among all 50 states regarding both vaccine shipments received and shots in arms. Has the amount of vaccine received in Clay County been lower than your initial expectations and has rollout been slower than you hoped?

The Iowa Department of Public Health has cautioned all county public health officials that the vaccine supply would be very limited throughout February. Naturally, we were hopeful that it would be more than a few hundred doses as we know so many people are anxious to move forward and be vaccinated. We're unsure what March will bring, yet we are encouraged by the news of increased production and distribution of vaccine, and also that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is scheduled to be considered for emergency use authorization soon.

Have local residents been eager to receive their shots or has there been some resistance? If there has been hesitation, why do you think that is?

At this point, our demand for vaccine far outweighs our allocation, so the people we're typically talking to are very anxious to be vaccinated. However, we anticipate that once supply catches up with demand, we likely will find there will be people who may be more hesitant and seeking additional effort before committing to a vaccination.

Has Clay County Public Health had to throw away any vaccines that didn't get used, or has there been an arm for every shot? If some has been tossed, how much?

We're using every drop we receive. Clay County receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which is packaged in vials which contain 10 doses. We've been fortunate to get an extra, 11th dose out of some vials, which is exciting as it allows us to vaccinate one additional person who is seeking protection against the SARS-CoV2 virus.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding during this time period in which our vaccine supply is limited. We look forward to being able to get more people in our area immunized against COVID-19. Meanwhile, we continue to encourage everyone to practice the basic, yet important, health mitigation techniques of thorough hand-washing, avoiding crowds, and when you do need to be near others outside of your own household, wear a mask over your mouth and nose.