News Flash

January 26, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Information 

Yesterday, Linn County COVID-19 response partners announced persons age 65 and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine in Linn County. Individuals 65 years and older may receive vaccine beginning January 26, at any time during Phase 1B, and at any time during future phases of vaccine rollout. This is allowed per state guidelines in the most recent Vaccine Shortage Order, which allows persons age 65 and older to be vaccinated prior to the official start of Phase 1B. Linn County had approximately 800 doses of vaccine available to offer to persons 65 and older this week due to Phase 1A wrapping up. LCPH made the decision to offer this vaccine immediately, rather than wait until February 1, in agreement with local healthcare providers. Healthcare providers with vaccine began contacting patients on January 25 to offer appointments. Vaccine supply is extremely limited, and will limit appointment availability. Appointments are anticipated to fill quickly. Additional appointments will be opened as supply increases. 

Linn County continues to vaccinate Phase 1A and is preparing for Phase 1B, which will begin February 1 for identified priority populations in Tier 1. Vaccine remains in short supply, and not everyone in Phase 1B will be able to get vaccine right away. Once Linn County begins Phase 1B, it may take weeks to months for the Phase 1B populations to receive vaccine.

Please sign up to receive email notifications for COVID-19 Status Updates to keep up-to-date on vaccine rollout updates and other important information regarding COVID-19 response. For assistance with signing up for updates, view this video. In addition to the Linn County COVID-19 website, updates will also be shared on Facebook and Twitter. For questions on COVID-19 vaccine in Linn County, call 319-892-6097. Stay tuned to local news outlets for updated information. 

 Vaccine Distribution Highlights

• Current Phase: 1A

• Projected time to next phase: Phase 1B will begin February 1

• Populations included within Phase 1A: 

  • Residents and staff of long-term care facilities*

    • *Nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities

  • Healthcare personnel

•  Progress within Phase 1A:

  • An opportunity to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment has been offered to the majority of the healthcare personnel population. Vaccine will continue to be offered to this group as they are identified and request vaccine. There are an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 healthcare personnel in Linn County. 
  • Most Linn County long-term care facilities are participating in the national Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program (PPLTCP). Vaccination of participating facilities began December 28, 2020 and is ongoing. 
  • A report of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administered in Iowa by county is posted at https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/:
    • 13,852 doses have been administered by Linn County providers, with 2,880 vaccine series complete by Linn County providers  

• Groups to be offered vaccine next: 

  • Phase 1B 
    • Persons aged 65 years and older
    • Populations vulnerable to high risk of exposure or severity of illness (listed in order of priority): 
      • Tier 1 
        • First Responders
        • PK-12 staff, early childhood education, childcare workers 
      • Tier 2
        • Frontline essential workers in food, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors who live or work in non-social distanced settings 
        • Individuals with disabilities living in home settings and their direct care staff 
      • Tier 3
        • Staff and individuals living in congregate settings not covered by previous Phase or Tier
        • Government officials, including staff, engaged in business at the State Capitol 
      • Tier 4
        • Inspectors responsible for health, life and safety 
      • Tier 5Correctional facility staff and individuals incarcerated

• The CDC has recommended priority populations for Phase 1C, however the IDAC has not made a recommendation for Phase 1C priority populations. 

• Projected time to next phase: Phase 1B will begin February 1

Businesses

• Linn County Public Health (LCPH) is compiling information from employers to help link you and your staff to agencies administering the COVID-19 vaccine as it becomes available. LCPH has recently developed an employer vaccine form for employers interested in offering COVID-19 vaccine to their employees. 
  • Employers who have employees in Phase 1a and 1b should complete the form now, if they have not done so already.
  • Those that have already completed the form do not need to do so again.
  • It is best to access the form in Chrome. 
  • We recommend filling out the comments section with exactly what you do, where you go, and what patient contact you have (if any). This helps LCPH place you accordingly for vaccine.
  • Complete the form here, or direct link is: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/891d3217630c46cebd1b5db8bba47b8a?portalUrl=https://lcgis.linncounty.org/portal

Vaccine FAQs

• COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions are updated frequently.

For questions about COVID-19 vaccine in Linn County:

• Visit LinnCounty.org/Vaccine 
• Call 319-892-6097

 Linn County Case Count Data 

• Active cases: 2,126
• Total cases to date: 18,121
• Currently hospitalized: 22
• Total deaths: 251
• Total recovered: 15,744

Additional data on COVID-19 cases is available on Linn County’s case count dashboard.

Linn County Metrics 

• Test Positivity Rate*: 17.8% 
  • *Percent of positive tests to date since beginning of pandemic
• 7-Day Test Positivity Rate: 9.0%
• 14-Day Test Positivity Rate: 8.0%
• Current Recommendation for Actions to Combat Increase in COVID-19: Tier 2, effective January 25, 2021

Additional Linn County metrics are available on Linn County’s metrics dashboard.

For more COVID-19 information specific to Linn County, visit LinnCounty.org/COVID19.