Emergency Preparedness Director Jennifer Millbern says there are still a lot of basic questions about the virus itself -- symptoms, testing timetables, how to proceed if people come in contact with a confirmed patient -- and Millbern says at least some of that is a quest for reassurance that residents are handling their situations correctly.

There are a lot of questions now about where residents fall on the state's five-phase approach for vaccinations. The state's plan is different from what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rolled out, so there are still some ongoing concerns resulting from those differences.

Lyon County, area counties and the state are still in Phase 2 with an emphasis on seniors and education staffers. People in congregate settings and high-contact critical staffers will be vaccinated next as Phase 2 continues. Millbern admits some people are getting impatient as the process moves ahead.

 

The state's Phase 3 now involves people ages 16-64 with severe medical risks and other critical workers. Phase 4 concentrates on people ages 16-64 with other medical risks. Phase 5 will entail children, depending on upcoming research on vaccine risks and effectiveness, and the rest of the population above age 16.

On top of those questions, people are still calling the hotline to get on the county's vaccination wait list, although that has slowed down considerably since the list was officially announced early this month. Seniors over the age of 65 can register by calling 620-208-3741. Other Phase 2-eligible residents are told to go online to www.publichealth.lyoncounty.org to sign up for vaccine notifications. There will be two revaccination pods this week, one Thursday and one Friday, both at the Bowyer Community Building.

KVOE will keep you updated on the COVID-19 response effort as it continues. Our next Vaccination Briefing will be during the Newsmaker 2 segment at 8:20 am Monday. Millbern will join the Newsmaker segment at 7:15 am Thursday.