Winnebago County to begin vaccinating health care workers

The first shipment of a COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive this week in Winnebago County, according to Julie Sorenson, administrator at Winnebago County Public Health.

This welcome news is a result of the FDA giving emergency approval last Friday to a vaccine developed by Moderna. While a separate vaccine developed by Pfizer was approved for emergency use the week prior, Sorenson explains that Winnebago County is not equipped with the type of ultra cold storage needed to use the Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna vaccine can be kept at higher temperatures, and that is the vaccine that will be delivered to Winnebago County Public Health.

The top priority groups for receiving the vaccine are health care workers and nursing home residents. The Public Health office won’t need to administer vaccines at the nursing homes, as Sorenson says they will receive COVID-19 vaccines through a federal pharmacy chain program, and workers at local clinics will receive vaccines at their place of employment. Sorenson says there are approximately 500 licensed health care workers in Winnebago County, and Public Health will work to make sure they all get vaccinated, including first responders on local ambulance crews.

Sorenson says her office is ready for the Moderna vaccine, which is designed to be delivered in two doses, spread four weeks apart. She expects it will be several months before the vaccine is widely available to the general public, but Winnebago County Public Health will let people know as soon as it’s available.

“This represents another positive step forward, but until the vaccine is widely available, we must continue to mitigate the virus by practicing public health measures so we can protect the most vulnerable and preserve hospital resources, while keeping Iowans healthy, our economy open and our kids in school,” said Governor Kim Reynolds.

Anyone with questions may contact Winnebago County Public Health at 641-585-4763.

Current COVID-19 numbers

The spread of COVID-19 has leveled off in Winnebago County in recent weeks, but 43 new positive cases were identified in the county between Tuesday, Dec. 15 and Monday, Dec. 21. The number of active cases has fallen to 221. Two additional deaths related to the illness were reported in Winnebago County over the last week, bringing the total to 28.

New cases of the illness are down in Kossuth County, where 71 additional positives were recorded between December 15-21. There were 500 active cases in Kossuth County as of Monday, and two more deaths have been reported for a total of 25.