Henry County Public Health shares COVID-19 vaccine update

Henry County Public Health expects to receive its first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before Christmas. These first allocations will be very small and prioritized for people in high risk groups. As more vaccines become available, those groups will broaden until anyone who wants to receive the vaccine can get it. Initial vaccine allocations will target the following groups in Phase 1A as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP):
• Health care providers with direct patient contact and thus who are unable to telework, including those who work in inpatient, outpatient, or community settings, who provide services to patients or patients’ family members, or who handle infectious materials
• Health care providers working in residential care or long-term care facilities
• Skilled nursing facility residents (Long-Term Care facilities will be covered through the federal LTC-Pharmacy Partnership)
Providers in these categories will receive a letter with further details. The ACIP and State of Iowa will provide additional guidance regarding priority groups in the near future. Henry County Public Health will provide updates as they receive them.
Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed. The combination of getting vaccinated and following CDC