Phase 3 of Riley County’s vaccination priority schedule won’t occur this week.
The health department says it received word from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Friday that the statewide vaccination plan’s details cannot be adjusted to accommodate for each county’s needs. No county can move to Phase 3 until other Kansas counties are also ready to move up to Phase 3. KDHE informed the health department that doing so would have halted additional vaccine shipments from being delivered.
As a result, the county remains in Phase 2 and will administer only booster doses of the vaccine this week. State guidelines prioritize high-contact critical workers before people with severe health conditions.