The Sedgwick County Health Department has provided close to 7,800 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to health care workers, leaving the county with just over 2,000 doses remaining from its initial shipment.
Deputy county manager Tim Kaufman told county commissioners Tuesday that there is no word on when another shipment will arrive, but more doses will be needed as the county and the state of Kansas get ready to move into phase two of Governor Kelly’s vaccine distribution plan.
Kaufman said there are over 1,000 appointments scheduled the rest of the week for health care workers, so any people in the health care industry who have not received the vaccine should book an appointment through the county’s web site at www.sedgwickcounty.org He said hospitals have delivered around 3,000 doses of the vaccine to their workers.
Kaufman said phase two will start immediately after phase one, and it could begin later this month or in early February. Phase two will cover people 65 and older, people who live in congregate settings and critical workers. He said it will be a complicated process because phase two will begin at the same time as the second dose for people from phase one. Kaufman said the county’s Local Health Officer, Dr. Garold Minns, is working with Health Department staff on guidelines for phase two.
The county reported an additional 348 cases of COVID-19 on Monday. There were no new deaths, so the total number of deaths remains at 309.
