MAHASKA COUNTY, Iowa — The news of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine's approval and soon arrival to communities across Iowa will be welcomed with open arms.
These vaccines will head to rural communities where they don't need high-tech freezers to keep the vials at ultra-cold temps like the Pfizer vaccine.
Local 5 sat down with Denyse Gipple with the Mahaska County Department of Public Health to talk about how the county's plans to distribute the vaccine to residents.
Gipple didn't disclose the number of vaccines the county will be getting but did say they'll be getting what they need.
"We had arrived at that number by looking at the number of health care providers we have in our county and using the formulas provided from the state and we are going to be receiving exactly what we plan for," Gipple said.
Gipple said Mahaska County will not be receiving the Pfizer vaccine since they don't have the proper storage for it. The Moderna vaccine also comes in smaller shipments for rural areas.
The county is ready to distribute vaccines as they come in, prioritizing hospital workers. They will not be distributing these vaccines to long-term care facilities because of their partnerships with pharmacies.
RELATED: Long-term care residents, health care workers to be first Iowans to get coronavirus vaccine
Those on the frontlines of the pandemic will be able to get their vaccine at a clinic put on by the department.
Vaccines will be sent to the hospital, where the public health department is located, and then redistributed across the county, according to Gipple.
Gipple said it's always a challenge to find personnel to administer the vaccine in the county.
"You have to look at personnel day-to-day with how many patients you have and how many people we have on staff that might be out. And of course, it's the week of Christmas. So while we're happy to get the vaccine that means we might not have as many people around," Gipple said.
"I think we're, we're fairly confident we can get the vaccine out in a short amount of time. The actual vaccination is pretty quick so I think we can handle it," Gipple said.