As high temperatures reach 90 degrees in the next several days, Washington County Public Health urges residents to prevent experiencing heat-related illnesses and to look out for others who may be at risk.
Public Health Administrator Danielle Pettit-Majewski says heat illnesses can occur when spending an extended amount of time during the warmer parts of a summer day, “One of the things that we should really stress, especially with heat exhaustion and heat stroke, are some of the symptoms. So having a high body temperature, like 103 degrees fahrenheit or higher, having hot, red, dry, or damp skin; having a strong, fast pulse; headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, maybe losing consciousness.”
COVID vaccine demand dropping across Washington County May 18 2021
Vaccine providers have a plan to close gaps in vaccination rates among racial and ethnic groups, officials say.
Washington County Public Health and local healthcare providers plan to increase vaccine clinics and events targeted at specific groups and communities to address ongoing racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates.
The move comes as officials plan to close the region s mass vaccination sites in June and most Oregon counties, including Washington County, experience declining vaccine demand. We re shifting to a more local approach, said Mary Sawyers, a spokesperson for Washington County Public Health. The community clinics are not filling as fast as they were.
As public health departments across the state including Washington County have begun declining weekly COVID-19 vaccine allocations due to decreased demand, U.S. Representative for Iowa’s Second District and former Iowa Department of Public Health Director Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) is encouraging all Iowans 16 years and older to get vaccinated.
Iowa’s vaccine dashboard showed Friday that 2,222,768 total doses have been administered to Iowa residents, and 1,041,462 vaccine series have been completed, about one-third of Iowans’ population. When she’s not in Washington, D.C., Congresswoman Miller-Meeks has been assisting at vaccine clinics in her district, emphasizing the necessity of vaccinations in order to achieve herd immunity, which is estimated at 70-85% of the population.
Washington County Public Health is pausing first dose COVID-19 vaccine clinics due to a marked decrease in demand.
The department announced Thursday that due to a difficulty in filling their vaccine clinics and an increase in vaccine availability at retail pharmacies, they are declining their vaccine allocation for this week. Moderna second-dose, otherwise known as boost dose clinics will continue as scheduled through May for those that have previously received their prime dose from WCPH. The department will no longer offer prime dose clinics unless demand increases, and they will continue to communicate with their vaccine distribution partners to determine if they have the needs for vaccine allocation and make decisions each week.