Franklin County getting ready to start vaccinations on next priority group

Franklin County Public heath is preparing to move on to the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations as virus activity in the area continues to decline.

The county hasn't yet heard whether or not they will be receiving some of the initial launch of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson's vaccine. It is thought that the new vaccine will be distributed to counties ready to start vaccinating their next tier of priority, which would include factory workers and people with disabilities.

Public Health Director Ashley Roberts estimates that they should be ready to start moving on to that population in the next couple weeks.

"We're just finishing up with the daycares, so we're getting close," said Roberts.

Like many Iowa counties, Franklin County saw a bit of a delay in their vaccine rollout last month due to severe winter weather, but they are now back on track.

"Hopefully now that we've rolled into March we can get some more doses," said Roberts.

In Franklin County, approximately 2,300 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to county residents, with 467 of them completing their series.

As of Monday, March 1, the county is reporting a total of 1,089 individuals testing positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, marking the second week in a row where cases have increased by just four. With 1,037 cases considered recovered there are currently just 36 active cases in the county, down 13 from a week ago.

Of the total positive cases, Franklin County Public Health is reporting that 80 are elderly (age 81+); 211 have been older adults (61-80); 296 have been middle aged (41-60); 364 have been young adults (18-34); and 138 have been children.

As of Sunday, no patients have been hospitalized with COVID. No additional deaths have been reported either, keeping the count at 19.

In the county, 4,919 individuals have been tested at some point during the pandemic, with a total of 17,374 tests being performed on Franklin County residents. In the last 14 days, 1% of all tests have been positive for the virus. The state no longer tracks the number of individuals tested per week.