Linn County Public Health announced Wednesday, Jan. 13, that it could take months until they have distributed vaccines to all Phase 1A and Phase 1B COVID-19 vaccine recipients.
Heather Meador of Linn County Public Health said that Linn County has between 20,000 and 30,000 health care personnel throughout the county that need to be vaccinated. Linn County has yet to receive enough vaccines for all health care personnel to receive a first dose, let alone a second dose of the vaccine.
âWeâre trying to apply the vaccine as quickly and efficiently as possible without wasting any of the vaccine,â Meador said. âWeâre just not receiving enough vaccine to cover Phase 1A.â
CEDAR RAPIDS To date, 16 patients at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids have received an experimental treatment for COVID-19 that was approved by federal officials early last month.
While it’s available only to a limited number of patients, for those who qualify the treatment could keep high-risk individuals from becoming severely ill.
The drug, Bamlanivimab nicknamed “Bam” is a monoclonal antibody therapy that was developed by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. The therapy, administered to patients intravenously, is used to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in children and adults who are at risk for or severe outcomes from the virus, including those with chronic medical conditions.