First COVID vaccine doses could be seen in north-central Iowa in couple weeks, general public though won’t see it until spring

MASON CITY — Cerro Gordo County could see the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine arrive in a few weeks, but the leader of the county’s health department says the general public should not expect to be vaccinated until spring.

Brian Hanft says those first doses will be distributed to those working directly with COVID patients. “Our direct line health care workers are in line to receive that vaccine first and foremost as you would imagine. So people on the front lines providing direct patient care to those people who are COVID positive, people who are around likely COVID positive patients. So we’re talking you know a whole host of different areas within the hospitals.”

Hanft says nursing home patients will also be toward the top of the list in getting those first vaccine doses.   “Long-term care centers will be receiving direct allocations from the federal government in order to provide vaccine to their residents. There’s going to be a system that’s all set up for that through some of the national chain pharmacies.”

Other essential workers like police, fire, medical rescue and child care workers would be next in line for the vaccine, followed by people who have underlying conditions. Hanft says he’s projecting that the general public later this spring will be able to get the vaccine with a mass immunization clinic set up.  “I’m hoping that by April and after that we will then begin to really put it out there to the broader general population. That could shorten up and I’ll tell you we’re planning for that. When we get to that general population effort, the idea is that we’re going to try to create a drive-thru type of administration process. We have a lot of logistics to work out what that might look like as well, but try to keep people in their vehicles and brought people through that way.”

Hanft made his comments during a every-other-week City of Mason City and Cerro Gordo County COVID-19 press conference that you heard Wednesday afternoon on AM-1300 KGLO. If you missed the press conference, you can see video below