Harvey County moves to Phase 2 of vaccinations
The Kansan
Following an announcement from Gov. Laura Kelly that the state is moving forward with its vaccination plan, the Harvey County Health Department will move into Phase 2 of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan.
With this move, all those aged 65-plus, those in eligible congregate settings and all high-contact critical workers will now be prioritized for vaccination, in addition to anyone from Phase 1 who has not yet been vaccinated.
The Health Department is anticipating receiving 300 initial doses of Moderna vaccine for Phase 2. Those doses will be directed toward law enforcement, other first responders and K-12 educators.
USD 373 working on COVID-19 testing expansion
The Kansan
Newton Unified School District 373 is pursing a way to provide COVID-19 testing to staff and students as the second semester of the 2020-21 school year begins. It will be free of charge through the end of the school year, said Superintendent Fred Van Rankin.
The school district had relied on testing by Well Health, which was initially offered to the community in the Newton High School parking lot before moving to the Chisholm Trail Mall, for testing in December. However, turnaround time was an issue for district employees.
The school district chose to go with to another source.
The Kansan
The Harvey County Health Department is awaiting new doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as hospitalizations at NMC Health have increased.
Lynnette Redington, director of the Harvey County Health Department, reported Jan. 11 there were 24 people hospitalized at NMC Health for COVID-19. That has definitely increased from last week when we were down in the teens, Redington said.
A week ago there were 15 hospitalizations. As of Monday, there had been 29 deaths in Harvey County two in the past week.
The health department has exhausted about 200 doses of vaccine used to vaccinate first responders in the county. It is unsure when there will be more doses of the vaccine available.
Harvey County confirms COVID-19 case cluster at sheriff’s office
The Kansan
The Harvey County Health Department, in conjunction with the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office, has confirmed a cluster of COVID-19 cases in the sheriff’s office facility.
“Public safety is always our priority, and for some of our staff right now, that means being at home,” said Harvey County Sheriff Chad Gay. “We have excellent law enforcement agencies throughout Harvey County that help us ensure the same level of response will be maintained for our communities. I hope our staff has a safe and healthy recovery.”
The cluster includes five employees. Two additional test results are pending.
Local first responders share experiences with COVID-19 vaccine
The Kansan
Doug Trumble is a busy man who works a full-time job in addition to founding his own company while serving on the Newton Fire/EMS reserves. Time management is pretty key for me, Trumble said.
That s why when he received an email from Newton Fire/EMS chief Steve Roberson asking if he wanted to get an optional COVID-19 vaccine shot, he signed up. I immediately signed up for it. I am too busy to be sick for two weeks, Trumble said.
The vaccine, manufactured by Moderna, was the second vaccine approved for use by the FDA. It shipped on Dec. 20, and on Dec. 22 Trumble was in the Harvey County Health Department rolling up his sleeve.