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.

First responders, school and childcare staff and people 65 and older
In the photo: The call center was activated Thursday morning. This is what it looked like.  (Amy Frankl-Brandt photo)
 
Registration for 1B COVID-19 vaccine clinics opens on Thursday, January 28, with the first clinic scheduled for February 3. Although vaccine supply remains low, clinics will continue as long as doses are available.

ALGONA—Plans for COVID-19 vaccine clinics are forming for Phase 1B, which now includes people aged 65 and older and a tiered approach for others within the group. Registration opens next week for the first clinic, scheduled for Feb. 3.

In late November and early December, the positivity rate of those tested for COVID-19 in Kossuth County was the highest in the state, topping out at more than 30 percent over a two-week period, meaning during that time, 3 in 10 people who were tested were discovered to be positive for the virus. The positivity rate declined to less than 12 percent in early January, but it has now bounced back to 25.4 percent, and that rate is the highest among all counties in Iowa.

The Test Iowa site in Algona adjusted the testing schedule to Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The process for receiving a COVID-19 test through Test Iowa remains unchanged. Individuals who wish to get tested through Test Iowa site must first complete the online assessment at testiowa.com and call Kossuth County Public Health (Kossuth Regional Health Center Community Health) at 515-295-4430 after the online assessment is complete to set up an appointment.

An Algona High School student launched a project aimed to make it easier for those who communicate in Spanish to better connect with the community.
 
See the full story in the Jan. 21 Kossuth County Advance.

Terri Doocy was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) when she was 30 years old. She waited 15 years before she received the life-saving kidney transplant she had been praying for, and the call to give her the news that a kidney was available and a perfect match for her came on Thanksgiving Day 2020.
 
Read the feature on Terri's journey in the Jan. 21 Kossuth County Advance.

Algona City council members were told last week the town’s street shed is no longer big enough or safe enough due to the increased size of modern equipment.
During a review of the city’s multi-year capital improvement plan put into place last February, Kurt Nielsen, the street superintendent, and Barb Smith, the public works director, said it’s time to replace the facility that was built 59 years ago.
 
Read the full story in the Jan. 21 Kossuth County Advance.

One of the primary goals for the Whittemore Legion Riders is to raise funds to help veterans in care centers in Kossuth County. They hold a raffle prize drawing every month, participate in parades and funeral escorts. 

After hearing from a bonding advisor, the Algona City Council requested a proposal that would accelerate plans for street improvement projects and increase the amount of money borrowed in the coming year.
No action was taken because the discussion was held during the council’s work session prior to its regular meeting Monday at City Hall. 
 
Get more about the council's regular meeting and its budget workshop in the Jan. 21 Kossuth County Advance.

Look inside this week’s edition to find your annual 12-page special publication celebrating the work of artists in Kossuth County. It is Section C.

ALGONA—RSVP volunteers who exchange pen pal letters with area elementary students say everyone involved in the program wins. Students improve written communication skills, teachers creatively instruct language skills, and volunteers share life experience, shared interests, and friendship.

ALGONA—Low interest rates are leading the Algona City Council to consider a plan for a multi-year street improvement project.

KOSSUTH COUNTY—Iowa’s state government finances have weathered the COVID-19 storm better than most states, and lawmakers across the board say whether that continues will play a central role in what the Iowa Legislature accomplishes in the 89th general assembly that started Monday in Des Moines. The traditional opening week of the session continued Tuesday evening when Gov. Kim Reynolds delivered her State of the State Address.

ALGONA—North McCoy Street is on the city of Algona’s radar for a reconstruction project, but that will not happen until drainage problems in that area near Bishop Garrigan School are addressed.