Registration opened for 1B COVID-19 vaccine clinics on Thursday, resulting in nearly 600 vaccine appointments for the Feb. 3 and Feb. 6 clinics. Individuals who were unable to break through the busy phone lines will have the opportunity to sign up for future clinics as soon as additional doses are available. Updates will be shared on a weekly basis, on Mondays, with local media, on the Kossuth County Public Health hotline at 515-295-4450 and at www.krhc.com.
"We know this was a frustrating experience for many," said Lynzie Nilles, director of Kossuth County Public Health and Community Health and Hospice director for Kossuth Regional Health Center. "We had six phone lines available and our volunteers were engaged with callers the entire time. Our team felt that phone registration, while it wasn't perfect, was the best format for answering questions about the vaccine and verifying that individuals were eligible to receive the vaccine. Not everyone has access to a computer and intranet, so the phone registration process allowed a broader audience to get registered."
The number of doses allocated to Kossuth County can change quickly, so most clinics will be planned no more than a week to 10 days in advance. Vaccine appointments are necessary to make sure that people are not standing in line and waiting, but this doesn't eliminate waiting altogether.
"Our process is to get this vaccine to people as efficiently and safely as we can by only offering it by appointment. We can't serve everyone all at one clinic, because we don't receive all our doses at one time. We encourage people to continue to call and register when the Call Center is open and to be patient. Keep checking on Mondays to see what clinics are happening and when you can call to sign up. It will take time for everyone to get through, but we are doing the best we can with the supply we have," Nilles said.
Vaccine clinics will be held at the former Ernie Williams Harley Davidson building, located at 2701 Highway 18 in Algona. Appointments are required, no walk-ins will be accepted.
When coming for your appointment, please bring photo I.D., wear a mask and arrive on time. If you have a relevant work or employee I.D. badge, please bring that also. The process of receiving the vaccine will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes, which includes a monitored wait time after receiving the vaccine.