Vaccine Is Early Christmas Gift For Frontline Workers

Mills County’s healthcare workers received an early Christmas present this week.

Mills County Public Health began its first round of COVID-19 vaccinations with about 30 frontline healthcare workers receiving the Moderna vaccine on Wednesday. MCPH received 300 doses of the vaccine for distribution Tuesday.

MCPH’s rollout began with the county’s “1A” population: frontline healthcare workers, medical staff at the Glenwood Resource Center, staff and residents at long-term care facilities, EMS/rescue personnel, MCPH nurses, direct-care staff at local medical clinics, pharmacy staff and morticians.

MCPH Nursing Coordinator Lorri Greiner said the vaccine clinic was a bit of a last-minute decision after the shipment arrived about a week ahead of schedule.

“We were planning to start next week, but we got it and did not want to sit on it over the weekend so we quickly put the clinic together,” she said.

Greiner said the Moderna vaccine was expected – opposed to the Pfizer version –  as it doesn’t require deep freeze storage.

The Moderna vaccine has shown a 94.5 percent effective rate against COVID-19, according to Greiner, and requires two doses that are administered 28 days apart.

The county’s skilled nursing and assisted living facilities are expected to begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations next week. Those vaccines are not a part of MCPH’s allotment and will be distributed by the Long-term Care Pharmacy Partnership, a federal program that puts national pharmacy chains in charge of distributing and administering the vaccine in facilities statewide. The pharmacy partnership in Iowa is being implemented by Walgreens and CVS pharmacies. 

After the “1A” population has been vaccinated, a second group identified as “1B” will become the priority for the vaccine. That group will include firefighters and law enforcement officers.

Alex Smith is a paramedic with Glenwood Fire and Resuce. Smith was one of seven emergency service workers that received the vaccine Wednesday.  He described the vaccine as “Christmas coming early.”

“This feels like a turning point,” Smith said. “Most healthcare workers are on the same page. I trust the science and the benefits of this (vaccine) simply out-weigh the risks with COVID. It’s a scary thing in the health care world.”

Smith has been a paramedic for three years but has worked in EMS for a decade. He’s been on numerous COVID-19 calls and while he’s always layered in personal protection equipment (PPE), as a first-responder during a pandemic there’s always a looming concern of the virus.

“The fear is always there when you’re around others and COVID,” he said. “But we have protection, Mills County does a good job keeping us safe with the PPE. We wear full Tyvek suits, N95 masks and gloves. So I wouldn’t say I don’t feel safe but there is always a little bit of fear."

Smith, like the others receiving vaccinations last week, will have to return for a follow up shot in 28 days. He doubts the vaccination will change how he does his job or spends time with his wife, a teacher, and 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.

“I’ll continue to wear a mask, continue to wash hands – that won’t change,” he said. “We all know we have a ways to go. This just feels like a positive step in getting back.”

The vaccinations have just begun and the widespread inoculations against the virus that has infected 18 million Americans and killed more than 300,000 is still in its infancy but it’s hard for Greiner not to see at least a glimmer of that same light Smith sees at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

“We’re excited this is finally here,” Greiner said. “All the planning we’ve been doing over these months, we’re finally being able to implement. Hopefully, we’ll start to see life get back to normal.”