Franklin County waiting for next stage of COVID vaccine deployment

As Iowa's healthcare workers and long term care residents and staff near the completion of their COVID-19 inoculations, the state is starting to move into the next phase of vaccination rollout. As of Monday, COVID-19 vaccination eligibility now includes senior citizens, however there are lingering question about when and where one can get vaccinated.

Unfortunately, as demand far exceeds supply at the moment, eligibility to receive the vaccine does not immediately translate into ability to receive the vaccine. The county is still awaiting their allocation of vaccine to used for the senior population.

"We have not received the vaccine to begin this phase of the vaccination plan," write Franklin County Public Health on their Facebook page on Monday. "Do not call our office or show up at our office expecting to get a vaccine today. We will make it well known when we are able to vaccinate individuals dependant on what phase we are working on at the time. This process will take time, please be patient. It will not be a walk-in clinic as all appointments will have to be scheduled."

In Franklin County, 830 doses of vaccine have been administered to Franklin County residents with 175 residents completing their vaccine series.

As of Monday, February 1, a total of 1,056 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19, adding another 17 to the county total. One additional death was reported on Friday, January 29, bringing the county total to 19.

In the county, 4,585 individuals have been tested at some point during the pandemic, with a total of 15,491 tests being performed on Franklin County residents. In the last 14 days, 7.4% of individuals tested have been positive for the virus, continuing the downward trend in case activity.

In the Hampton-Dumont School District, an unspecified number of cases were confirmed on January 28 at the middle school, marking the only new COVID-19 activity in the district last week.

In Franklin County's long term care facilities, the Rehabilitation Center of Hampton has no confirmed cases or symptoms among its residents or staff. Likewise, the Sheffield Care Center is reporting no new cases and is eager to receive their second round of vaccinations on February 12.