COVID-19 Vaccine update - Dec. 30, 2020
When will I be able to get vaccinated?
If you qualify as someone in Phase 1A, the KDHE right now expects vaccinations for that priority group will take the winter months to complete, based on vaccine availability. Phase 1A of the vaccination plan is to vaccinate health care workers, EMS, long-term care facility staff and residents, which is through the CDC's Pharmacy Partnership Program.
The state estimates Phase 1B vaccinations — which includes other essential workers like teachers, school staff and childcare workers and individuals at high risk for adverse health effects of COVID-19 — could begin in late winter depending on availability at the time. Increased availability for the general public is expected in the spring and early summer.
Douglas County so far has received vaccine through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment protocol, which designates who is able to receive the vaccine in each shipment.
Next Steps: With the FDA granting emergency use authorization to the Moderna vaccine, the state in mid-December delivered two allotments of that vaccine to Douglas County this week. State protocol for those allotments includes administering vaccine to public health, emergency medical services and other health care associated workers. Health care associated workers who have opted-in will receive notification and communication when an appointment is available.
We expect it will take several shipments to have enough vaccine at first for all Phase 1A eligible health care workers, first respondents and public health workers, so it will be prioritized based on how employers reported risk level of employees
We recognize this is a fluid situation dependent on many factors, and we will update community members as new information comes in through this process. You can check LDCHealth.org/COVIDVaccine for updates as more information becomes available.
What phase of distribution does my employment qualify me for?
- Phase 1A – Health Care Personnel, Long-term Care staff and residents, EMS and frontline public health workers
- Phase 1B – First responders, Public-facing workers in essential and critical infrastructure, teachers, school staff and childcare workers, individuals at high risk for adverse health consequences and people 75 and older.
- Following phases – General public
Where will I receive the vaccine?
Right now, with the vaccinations doses we have received in Douglas County, the state has designated them for those in Phase 1A. We expect it take several shipments to vaccinate this population.
We are still working on plans for mass vaccination sites in the community as we receive more doses, and we will communicate that information to the public as it becomes available at LDCHealth.org/COVIDVaccine. When you receive notice for your individual appointment time, you will learn the location.
How do I register/sign up?
For those who would qualify in Phase 1A, your employer should have registered you in that group, and you should have received a notification to choose whether to opt-in to take the vaccine at this time. For health care employers in Douglas County who have not yet registered their employees, they should contact Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health at vaccine@ldchealth.org.
For those who would qualify under phase 1B or later, we will announce future enrollment processes as they become available for the next priority groups and eventually the general public, at LDCHealth.org/COVIDVaccine.