COVID Vaccine Updates and Pharmacy Partnerships

Myrtue Medical Center’s Department of Public Health is working with local pharmacies to assist in providing COVID-19 vaccine to Shelby County residents. During the week of Feb. 1, Public Health allocated 100 doses to Pexton Pharmacy, the first partner to sign an agreement to help with countywide vaccination efforts. Public Health is fortunate to have four pharmacy partners willing to help with vaccination efforts for the community, including:

• Harlan Pharmacy
• Hy-Vee Pharmacy
• Kwik RX Pharmacy
• Pexton Pharmacy

In the coming weeks, some of our pharmacy partners will receive additional COVID vaccine from the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. This is a collaboration between the federal government and the states. It will allow national pharmacy partners and independent pharmacy networks to increase access to COVID-19 vaccination. This partnership will provide additional vaccine for our community members. Myrtue Medical Center’s Public Health is coordinating with the local pharmacies and providing names from its COVID-19 reservation vaccination list. In order to provide vaccine to people as quickly and efficiently as possible, local pharmacies will be contacting those on the reservation list to schedule a time for a vaccination appointment. New reservations will not be accepted directly through the local pharmacies. Public Health will continue to notify the community when additional reservations can be made through Myrtue’s Public Health department.

In addition to the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has committed 200 vaccines to Myrtue’s Public Health department for the next three weeks. This allotment will allow us to immunize an additional 600 Shelby County residents with their prime (or 1st) dose of COVID vaccine in the month of February. With this limited supply, it will take some time to move through the 1,326 seniors that are currently on Public Health’s vaccination reservation list. Any additional vaccine received by local pharmacies will help vaccinate even more eligible community members.

“Currently, we are allocating half of county doses to seniors and half to essential workforce personnel identified in IDPH’s Phase 1B priority groups,” said Lori Hoch, Myrtue’s Public Health Director. “We are striking a balance between those most at risk for complications from COVID and those individuals working in capacities that support societal functioning—as recommended by the Center for Disease Control and encouraged by the Iowa Department of Public Health. To date, we have provided vaccinations to Phase 1A and Phase 1B-Tier 1 community members-- healthcare workers, first responders, teaching personnel, and those over 65 years of age.”

Once Public Health has worked through the current reservation list, it will open up the reservation phone lines again and notify the public through announcements via radio, social media, newspapers, and on Myrtue’s website at www.myrtuemedical.org. “We can help each other by relaying announcements to neighbors, family, and friends,” said Hoch. “Providing COVID vaccine is the highlight of our Public Health pandemic days and we look forward to seeing you in clinics or coordinating your vaccine with our pharmacy partners.”

“We ask for your patience and please understand that Phase 1B will take many weeks to complete the high number of people that are eligible for vaccine in this phase,” commented Hoch. “For that reason, please refrain from calling to ask if vaccines have arrived or when we will be able to provide individual vaccines. We will begin to schedule all of the clinics in February now that IDPH has committed to providing 200 doses per week to our county.”

In the interim, please continue to practice social distancing, wear masks in public, practice good hand hygiene and stay home if you are ill. This will continue to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus until everyone that wants vaccine has had the opportunity to get it. To visualize how many vaccines have been given to Shelby County residents, please go to https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/pages/vaccineinformation#VaccineInformation. To keep up to date on other vaccination updates in Shelby County, please go to www.myrtuemedical.org or follow our Facebook page at @MyrtueMedicalCenter.