JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Central Valley Health District (CVHD) would like to provide an update regarding COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the community.
CVHD serves both Stutsman and Logan counties in North Dakota. CVHD is one of the enrolled providers for the COVID-19 vaccinations in the community and allocation of the vaccine will be distributed in both counties. To date, CVHD has provided 315 COVID-19 vaccinations.
“We have been receiving lots of calls and messages regarding the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Robin Iszler, CVHD Unit Administrator. “The first three weeks of vaccinations have gone well and we have been busy providing vaccinations to frontline health care workers, first responders and long-term care residents and staff from the Phase 1A priority group.”
COVID-19 vaccine supply continues to be very limited.
“Central Valley is currently not taking a list of those interested in getting a vaccination,” states Iszler. “The best way for members of the community to stay informed about when it is their turn for the vaccination is to monitor messaging from us in the newspaper, radio, our Facebook page, and our website.
The North Dakota COVID-19 Vaccination Ethics Committee has prioritized who will quality for vaccination in Phases 1B and 1C including the following:
Phase 1B (in order of priority):
· Persons age 75 and older
· Persons age 65 – 74 with two or more high-risk medical conditions
· Staff and persons living in other congregate settings (i.e., corrections, group homes, treatment centers, homeless shelters, etc.)
· Persons age 65 and older with one or more high-risk medical conditions
· Persons age 65 and older with or without high-risk medical conditions
· Persons with two or more high-risk medical conditions regardless of age
· Child care workers
· Workers employed by preschools or Kindergarten through 12th grade:
o Teachers, nutritional services, aides, bus drivers, principals, administrative staff, custodians, etc.
Phase 1C (in order of priority):
· North Dakota National Guard, not previously covered
· Grocery Workers
· Public safety answering points (911)
· Manufacturing related to the development or supply of COVID-19 vaccine
· Other health care/public health workers not included in phase 1A
· Free standing clinical laundries
· Public transit, including bus, taxi, ride-share
· Persons age 16 – 64 with one or more high-risk medical conditions
· Blood bank workers not previously vaccinated
· Information technology
· All other essential workers per Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
Central Valley Health will announce when will move onto Phase 1B. CVHD and other enrolled providers, including the pharmacies, clinics and other facilities will be providing the vaccinations. It is anticipated that this may occur in February. Depending on local vaccine acceptance and supply, it is possible that different areas of the state may be vaccinating within different priority levels.
“We ask that everyone remains patient as they wait for it to become their turn,” encourages Iszler. “In the meantime, remain vigilant on your health and safety practices and stay informed on the most up-to-date information by following us on Facebook.”
For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine and phases of vaccination, visit https://health.nd.gov/covidvaccine.
Underlying Health Condition criteria: https://bit.ly/3hIKqGk
Essential Worker criteria: https://bit.ly/2LkhGrk