Six area nurses have been honored as members of the 2021 100 Great Iowa Nurses. This annual award recognizes those nurses who have made meaningful and lasting contributions, not only to their patients, but to their families, their colleagues and the nursing profession as a whole. These individuals are also viewed as mentors by other nursing professionals. Three of these six work at St. Anthony Regional Hospital: Nicole Schwering of Glidden who is the Director of Carroll County Public Health; Kari Hammer of Carroll, Employee Health nurse; and Sara Roth of Lake View who is Emergency Department Director. Two from the Guthrie County Hospital receiving awards are Stephany Brondum of Stuart and Kassie Cline of Casey. Jill Arp of Manning, Infection Prevention and Employee Health nurse at Manning Regional Healthcare Center rounds out the list of honorees.
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine requires two doses separated by a minimum of 28 days. St. Anthony staff who received the first shots Tuesday will receive their second immunization on Jan. 19. Common side effects include pain and swelling at the injection site and could include fever, chills, lethargy and headache. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports side effects could be flu-like, but should subside in a few days. Even if you have had side effects, the second immunization should be completed for the vaccine to be effective. It may take up to two weeks after the second inoculation to be protected from COVID exposure. They advise patients contact their healthcare provider if the redness or tenderness increases after 24 hours or if the other side effects do not subside in a few days. Area healthcare facilities will be notifying patients when they are eligible to receive the vaccine.