Floyd County nears a quarter of adults vaccinated for COVID-19

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Floyd County is closing in on a quarter of its residents age 18 and older being vaccinated for COVID-19.

As of Monday evening, the state COVID-19 data site shows that 2,935 Floyd County residents have been fully vaccinated, with 2,842 people receiving a first and second dose of a two-dose brand of vaccine, and 93 people receiving a single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine shot.

The latest U.S. Census estimate shows 12,076 people living in Floyd County are age 18 or older, and 2,935 vaccinated persons is 24.3%.

So far, the people eligible to receive the vaccine have fit within specific groups — age 65 and older, health care provider, day care provider, PK-12 school staff, first responder, individual with a disability or caregiver of an individual with a disability, and persons under the age of 65 who have one or more of a long list of health conditions that put them at potentially greater risk of serious effects from COVID-19.

Starting next week, April 5, all persons in the state age 18 and older are eligible to be vaccinated. Where the Pfizer vaccine is available, that includes 16- and 17-year-olds as well, as that vaccine is approved for that age group.

Floyd County Supervisor Linda Tjaden said at a county board meeting Monday that the county continues to receive 300 doses of the Moderna vaccine each week for new vaccinations. It gives 100 of those doses to Main Street Drug in Charles City to increase the availability of the shots. The county also receives the number of doses needed to give people their second dose.

COVID-19 vaccinations are also available through the Hy-Vee Pharmacy in Charles City.

Tjaden said one development with the increasing availability of vaccines in Floyd and surrounding counties is that some people who register with Floyd County Public Health and are called and have an appointment set up, don’t show up for the appointment because they received it someplace else sooner.

“We gave them a date, we gave them a time, they were all scheduled,” she said, but then they find out they can get it somewhere else a day earlier and they don’t show up for their Public Health clinic appointment.

Tjaden said if it’s just a difference of a day or two she wishes people would show up for their appointment at the Public Health clinic.

But most importantly, she said, if they are going to get a vaccination somewhere else and not keep a scheduled appointment, she would like them to call Public Health and let them know so that dose can be scheduled to be given to someone else.

Supervisor Roy Schwickerath asked what they were doing with the extra doses from people who didn’t show up for appointments.

Tjaden said, “We find arms. We’re going to find somebody’s arm to put it in. But again, it’s just a courtesy thing, that we had scheduled and if they could just let us know.”

She asked anyone who needs to cancel an appointment to call Public Health at its regular number, 257-6111.

The supervisors said they have no problem with people signing up on multiple lists so they can get the vaccine as soon as it is available, but asked that once they do get an appointment that they either keep that appointment or call to cancel.

Tjaden said she would ask the volunteers staffing the call center to give people the number to call if they need to cancel their appointment.