COVID-19 Vaccine update - Jan. 8, 2021
Douglas County COVID-19 Vaccine Information
When will I be able to get vaccinated?
If you qualify as someone in Phase 1, the KDHE right now expects vaccinations for that priority group will take the winter months to complete, based on vaccine availability. Phase 1 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 expects it to take through January to vaccinate all health care workers and long-term care facility residents.
The KDHE on Jan. 7 updated its descriptions of phases.
Here’s the list of groups for the next phase (Phase 2) shown in the new plan, and we will announce when it's available the enrollment process for Phase 2:
- Persons Aged 65+
- Congregate settings (anyone living or working in licensed congregate settings and other special care or congregate environments)
- High-contact critical workers (those providing critical services who are at a higher risk of being infected, because their jobs require consistent and close contact with a large number of individuals)
Those who are in lower-risk categories after Phase 2 will most likely get vaccinated in late spring/early summer. These timelines are subject to change and will depend on vaccine availability. At this time, there is no need to contact your provider to sign up for the vaccine, and we are currently planning for distribution of Phase 2 and will make any announcements as information is available.
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 1 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.
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 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 1, 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 2 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.