Clarke County COVID-19 vaccine update

February 1, the Iowa Department of Public Health’s Phase 1b vaccination program began in Iowa. Clarke County Hospital is designated as the primary vaccination site for community members 65 and older. Clarke County Public Health will be providing vaccinations to all the other Tier Groups in Phase 1b.

“We know that many of you are concerned about COVID-19 and want to be vaccinated as soon as possible. We want that to happen for you as well. Without knowing when we will receive vaccines or how many vaccines we’ll receive, we will not be scheduling appointments at this time. However, we are starting a waiting list this week,” said Clarke County Hospital CEO Brian Evans.

There will be three ways that anyone 65 and older can sign up for the CCH COVID-19 Vaccine Waiting List:

Individuals 65 years and older can visit the Hospital’s website: www.clarkehosp.org to sign up for the vaccination waiting list. Click on the Waiting List link, and a brief fillable form will appear. Upon completion of the form, click “submit,” and this information will be added to the CCH vaccination waiting list.

Individuals 65 years and older can also sign up via email. Thosewho dign up need to email their First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, Primary Phone Number, email address, and zip code to COVIDvaccine@clarkehosp.org. Names will be placed on the waiting list based on the date and time that the emails were received, and CCH will send a confirmation email will be sent to show that individuals have been placed on the waiting list.

Individuals 65 older can also call the CCH Vaccine Call Center at 641-342-5085. The call center opened on Monday, February 1 at 7 a.m. The hours of the Vaccine Call Center will be Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Names will be placed on the waiting list based on the date and time of the phone call.

In order to prevent duplication, use only one method to sign up for the CCH vaccination waiting list.

CCH has developed a vaccination plan that will allow Hospital staff to vaccinate up to 1,000 people a week. The plan will be scaled based on the number of actual vaccine doses that CCH receives from the State and County Public Health Departments. The vaccinations will be administered in a safe environment at the Hospital by certified clinical workers.

“Our goal will be to keep you informed of how the Vaccine Clinic is doing. We will be sending you emails on a weekly basis, keeping you informed of our progress. When we receive doses of the vaccine, we’ll let you know. When your time comes to be vaccinated, we will call you to schedule both the first dose and second dose vaccination appointments,” said Evans.

Another way to get up to date information from Clarke County Emergency Management and Clarke County Public Health related to the pandemic and vaccines is to sign up for the Alert Iowa texts. The link to sign up is: https://entry.inspironlogistics.com/clarke_ia/wens.cfm

The Hospital appreciates the patience of residents in south-central Iowa. Both Clarke County Hospital and Clarke County Public Health want to vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, while following the guidelines that the Iowa Department of Public Health has provided.

Visit the CCH COVID Resource Website at: www.clarkehosp.org/resource-center-1aspx for additional information and links to Coronavirus resources. The Hospital and Rural Health Clinic remain open with a variety of care options to meet patient needs, whether ill, ready for an annual physical, or in search of a specialist.