CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Marshall County does not have a higher number of vaccines available, just a higher number of people who are eligible.

Since the state opened COVID-19 vaccine eligibility on Monday, the number of calls to Marshall County Public Health Nurse Pat Thompson have increased.

“I am getting many calls from people who want it,” she said. “We do not have a higher number of vaccines available, just a higher number of people who are eligible now.”

On Monday, the Iowa Department of Public Health announced people younger than 65 with chronic health conditions could start receiving the COVID-19 vaccines. That means more vaccines are needed to meet the demand, but the supply is just not there.

Sean Hylton, marketing communications specialist for UnityPoint, said they were excited when the state opened vaccine eligibility, but also realized the supply had not changed.

“We’re committed to getting as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible once the vaccine is readily available,” he said. “We’re focusing on completing appointments for individuals age 65 and older and will begin scheduling additional eligible patients as soon as possible. We appreciate the community’s patience and flexibility as we work hard to make sure that those eligible in our community receive their vaccines.One positive note is how quickly we’ve been able to turn the vaccines around to the public. We’re administering all of our allotted vaccines within approximately two days of receiving them, and I’m so proud of how efficient our process has been.”

Thompson is expecting the county to receive more vaccines, but she does not know how much more or when. Last week, federal and state officials were estimating more doses would be distributed every week sometime in March. This week, Marshall County received 500 doses, the same as the previous week, and they go quickly.

Now that the eligibility has been opened, Thompson said the online registration for the vaccinations has increased, but asks people to be considerate of others who may need it more.

“Let’s get the older people first,” she said. “I would still like people to understand we are still vaccinating people by age groups. That does not mean the younger ones are not at risk, but we ask them to help protect others who are more at risk. It is slowly coming together and it is appreciated if people wait their turn.”

Thompson said people can register online at the Hy-Vee website.

“They are only doing people with chronic conditions,” she said.

The county is still going through people in their 70s, Thompson said, and is wrapping up giving vaccines to educators and disabled people who need in-home care.

She asks for people to continue the COVID-19 pandemic mitigation practices such as staying home if they are sick, wearing masks, social distancing and frequent hand washing.

Hylton requested people continue having patience with the effort.

“We’re eager to get everyone vaccinated and get life back to normal,” he said. “That said, this vaccine process is unprecedented in our country’s history, and it’s going to take time and patience before we can get everyone to the finish line. I’ll ask the public to continue doing what we’re asking our health care workers to do – continue masking, washing your hands and keeping up social distancing.”

There have been 8,754 vaccinations administered in Marshall County. In Iowa, 959,053 residents have received doses.

Throughout the state, 5,621 people have died from the virus. Marshall County has reported 73 deaths, which is the same number reported last week. Marshall County has also had 5,027 of Iowa’s 369,249 positive COVID-19 cases.

Long-term care facilities have five active outbreaks in Iowa and none of them are in Marshall County.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.