COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, albeit more slowly than hoped

As COVID-19 vaccine doses reach Rock County, more residents are being inoculated against the highly contagious and often deadly disease. 
According to local public health officials, in Rock County 472 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 
Of these, 81 people have received the second dose and completed the vaccine series. 
However. vaccination progress remains in the first phase of a multi-phase roll-out, according to Jason Kloss of Southwest Health and Human Services. 
“We continue to target people identified in the three priority groups of Phase 1a,” he said Monday. 
This includes health care workers, EMS, nursing home and assisted living facility staff and residents, dental offices, pharmacies, mental/behavioral health settings, school nurses, funeral directors, correctional settings, and group homes settings. 
“By the end of this week, all people in Phase 1a in Rock County will have been given an opportunity to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,” Kloss said. 
“Rock County is further along in dispensing the vaccine to people in Phase 1a than other counties in our area. Most of the credit for this progress goes to the staff at Sanford Luverne.” 
He said Sanford Luverne has been offering weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout January to people in Phase 1a. 
 “They have been extremely efficient at getting the vaccine they have been allocated into people’s arms,” Kloss said.
He added that Southwest Health and Human Services will be vaccinating staff and residents at the Tuff Memorial Home Home and Tuff Village this week.
Also, a contract pharmacy will be dispensing the vaccine at Poplar Creek Assisted Living this week as well. 
After this week, all nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Rock County will have been offered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We are making progress, but as you might have guessed, the main issue continues to be the limited supply of vaccine that is sent to us,” Kloss said. 
“When you combine the limited supply with the two-dose requirement, this makes for a slower transition to Phase 1b.” 
This includes essential workers – teachers, grocery store workers, fire, food processing, day care workers, correctional workers, public transit and postal workers, as well as the 75-and-older population. 
“I am hopeful that we will be offering the vaccine to the people in Phase 1b by mid-February,” Kloss said. 
“The governor announced on Monday that the state will be sponsoring COVID-19 vaccination clinics for teachers, day care providers and people 65 years or older over the coming weekend. This is a good indication that we will be moving to Phase 1b soon.”
However, this announcement also expands the priority populations eligible for a vaccine right now. 
Additional details on Phase 1b are dependent on decisions to be made by the federal government and will be available in the weeks ahead. 
Locally, Kloss said public health will continue to follow the guidelines as they are currently written. 
“When we are allocated vaccine and given permission to vaccinate people in Phase 1b, we will do so,” Kloss said.
Sanford Luverne sent letters to its patients last week explaining that they will be notified when it’s their turn to be vaccinated.
“As a Sanford patient, you will receive a My Sanford Chart message, a letter and a voice message or text message to schedule your vaccine appointment when a dose is available,” the message stated.
Patients were directed to Sanford’s website for details and were assured the vaccine is safe and free. 
“Medical experts agree there are two main things to know about the vaccine: It is safe. The vaccines have undergone rigorous testing as directed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure safety and efficacy,” the message states.
“It works. The vaccines are 95-percent effective in preventing people from getting ill from COVID-19 when both doses are received.”
The Sanford message states that there are no out-of-pocket costs for getting the vaccine. Private insurance companies and government insurance programs like Medicare cover the cost of the vaccine, and for those that are uninsured, it will be fully covered. 
Meanwhile, Kloss urges people to be patient for their turn at being vaccinated.
“Our vaccine allocation will increase in due time,” he said. “When it does, we will notify everyone of any planned vaccination clinic.”