Phase 1B of COVID-19 vaccinations begin Feb. 1st across Iowa for first responders, essential frontline workers and people age 65 and older. The Scott County Public Health Department is holding its first public clinic to vaccinate those who are 65 and older.
All 500 appointments for Monday's clinic are already called for, as hundreds of people will get their first dose of the Moderna Vaccine. Registrations filled up last week within just half an hour. Monday's clinic runs from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. inside the old sears department store.
Those who are signed up just need to bring identification to prove their age. There's no need to arrive early as people will only be let in five minutes before their appointment time.
Health officials say the whole process -- check-in, the shot and monitoring period afterwards -- will only take about 25 minutes. The health department's director says he hopes the county is allocated more doses in the future to increase the clinic's capacity.
"Our clinic is capable of handling many more people than we have vaccines for," Director Ed Rivers says. "We'd love to have the vaccine to run at full capacity, but right now, we have a very small number of doses with a large number of people chasing them."
People age 65 and older can get the vaccine at any point during Phase 1B. Those in Tier One are now eligible too. That includes first responders like firefighters and police officers, along with pre-school through high school teachers and staff.
Those groups can expect to hear soon, if they haven't already, on when they'll have the choice to be vaccinated. The health department will coordinate with their employers on scheduling those clinics.
Details on future public clinics will be announced weekly by the Scott County Public Health Department. Appointments are done online, or over the phone through the Center for Active Seniors Inc. once dates and times are announced.