Photo by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health
January 26 COVID-19 update from health department.
Some vaccines will be given to older residents, workers in several industries and all other organizations identified in Phase 2 of the Douglas County vaccination plan each week, the county health department announced. Tuesday.
But a health department spokesman said that does not necessarily mean all groups will receive the same number of doses, and some details on how the distribution will work are not yet clear.
In a press release Tuesday, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health said as doses became available in the county, they would be distributed “evenly” among the following groups: residents 65 and older; essential local government staff; staff in the education department; workers in the food service industry; people living or working in gathering care settings; and anyone who was eligible for the Stage 1 vaccine but has not yet been shot. A group of “staff vital to the activities of the community” will also be included. Health department spokesman George Diepenbrock said that group included people such as transportation workers, DMV and postal workers, agricultural and food processing workers, and those who providing services or products used as part of the pandemic response.
“Current doses are very limited based on supply. As everyone in Phase 2 is considered critical and a priority, each group will receive a weekly dose allocation, ”Dan Partridge, Lawrence-Douglas County director of public health, said in the news release. “We understand that this means that not all organizations will be very satisfied with the current vaccine shortage, but this approach will allow us to move through Phase 2 together.”
Diepenbrock said the doses would be distributed “evenly,” not evenly, meaning that not all groups would get the same number of doses. He did not explain how the doses could be administered.
The news said the county was receiving less than 1,000 doses a week at Stage 1, and the county ‘s Vaccine Planning Unit estimates that between 30,000 and 40,000 Douglas County residents could qualify for Level 2. The county ‘s routine plan includes vaccination for around 3,000 people a week, but that number could triple if vaccine supply increases.
“This plan is flexible so that the Unified Command can respond in a balanced and timely manner to the number of COVID-19 doses received by Douglas County while also taking into account the needs of the community as a whole,” said Director Douglas County Emergency Manager Robert Bieniecki in the news. “With the small doses we are currently receiving, we are encouraging patience as we work to vaccinate everyone who wants the COVID-19 vaccine. ”
Douglas County is encouraging those interested in getting vaccinated to complete the interest survey online at dgcoks.org/vaccineinterestform.
Douglas County reported 7,944 cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, an increase of 52 cases from Monday.
In Douglas County, 7,165 out of the 7,944 cases are inactive or longer than the infectious period, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, resulting in 779 cases active.
The county has averaged about 37 new cases per day over the past 14 days, according to a 14-day moving average graph updated weekly by the health department. The current average of 37.29 new cases per day is down from a high of 80 cases per day in mid-November.
Douglas County has a 14-day COVID-19 incident rate of 433.95 per 100,000 people. Fifteen patients were at Lawrence hospital on COVID-19 Tuesday, the same number as Monday. To date, 36 Douglas County residents have died from COVID-19.