Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges announced on Friday that the Health Department has begun receiving limited amounts of COVID-19 vaccine. A planning team met Friday to prioritize those eligible in Phase Two wishing to receive the vaccine. Only 300 doses were received in Geary County for phase two.Berges stated, "As we begin to move into Phase 2 of vaccine prioritization, we have begun working with local organizations categorized by the state as high-contact Critical Workers. This category includes law enforcement, firefighters, Community Corrections, USD 475 employees, as well as reaching out to people over 65 who have called to be put on the list or have signed up on our website to receive the vaccine.We are receiving the Moderna vaccine, which comes in 10 dose vials. Once this vaccine is thawed and we begin using a vial, we must use all ten doses within six hours. For this reason, we are scheduling people to ensure we use all the vaccines to prevent any from going to waste. We have reached out to people who meet the Phase 2 criteria so we can meet the requirements to ensure the use of all vaccines. We have begun a back-up list of people who can respond at a moment’s notice to receive the vaccine in the event someone doesn’t show up, or we get more than ten doses out of a vial.We know that everyone is eager to receive the vaccine, and we are working to ensure that everyone has a chance to receive the vaccine as soon as possible. Once the county begins receiving more than a couple hundred doses a week, we will begin the next phase of opening up vaccination for larger groups in a location that can accommodate several hundred people at a time. Planning continues for potential mass vaccination locations, should we receive the amount of vaccine that is needed for Geary County.To sign up to receive the vaccine go to the Geary County Health Department Facebook page or the Geary County website&nbsp;www.gearycounty.org under the COVID 19 page.

Health Department receives limited amounts of COVID-19 vaccine