Wyandotte County residents who are 85 and older now can get a vaccine at the Unified Government Health Department sites without an appointment, according to an announcement today.
The walk-in vaccinations will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday for those 85 and older at the vaccination site at 7836 State Ave., the former Kmart store, and at 10500 Parallel Parkway, the former Best Buy store.
A third vaccination location in Wyandotte County is expected to be announced in a week or two.
For the walk-in appointments, those 85 and older should bring with them an ID or other proof of age such as driver’s license, government ID or birth certificate, and something that shows their address, such as an ID or mail.
The Unified Government Health Department realizes that documentation can be a barrier for some residents, and it is looking at how to reduce or remove the barriers in the future stages of the vaccination rollout, said Janell Friesen, Health Department spokesman.
Some residents who are 85 and older may need someone to accompany them, such as a family member or caregiver, she said. If the family member or caregiver is between 65 and 84 and lives in Wyandotte County, and also has ID or documentation to show age and address, that person also may get vaccinated while there with the person who’s 85 or older, Friesen said.
When asked about mobile vaccination units, she said the Health Department currently is looking at other options for vaccinations for people who are not able to come to the sites. They will have more details in the next week or two on those plans.
While there isn’t a plan in place yet, those who are trying to get a vaccination for a homebound person 85 or older may call the 3-1-1 phone line and let them know about it, she said, or when they get a callback on their vaccine form, let them know about it at that point.
The CDC is recommending that people still wear masks and socially distance after receiving their vaccinations, as they can still get the disease. According to doctors, the vaccinations will prevent people from getting seriously ill or being hospitalized, as well as preventing deaths, but they might still get a mild form of the disease.
Vaccinations for ages 65 to 85 continuing
The Health Department also is vaccinating Wyandotte County residents who are 65 to 85, starting with Zip Codes at 66101, 66102 and 66105, by appointment only. They’re also continuing to vaccinate certain high-contact workers such as teachers and school district staff who work in Wyandotte County.
Those who are 65 through 85 and are Wyandotte County residents may sign up through a vaccine interest form on the Health Department’s webpage at WycoVaccines.org or https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-vaccines-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.
“If you have someone in your life who is 65 and older and needs help filling out the form, we encourage you to help your loved ones with that,” Friesen said.
Not all seniors have access to the internet or have the technical skills to sign up for the vaccine.
They would like to remove barriers for residents, she said, so in addition to a sign-up form on the internet for residents interested in receiving the vaccine, there is a phone number, 3-1-1, that residents may call, and they can receive assistance on the phone to sign up for the vaccine.
Friesen said people may not be contacted immediately when they fill out the form, but the Health Department will set up an appointment when vaccines and appointment slots become available.
Vaccine doses increasing in Wyandotte County
Vaccine doses have increased this week in Wyandotte County. The UG Health Department numbers are showing 5,850 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be available this week, Friesen said, which is a few thousand higher than recent weeks.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s website is showing 7,150 doses for Wyandotte County this week. State health officials said recently that some vaccine doses were delayed last week because of the weather.
Friesen said the UG Health Department’s figures may not include second doses or doses sent to other places in Wyandotte County, such as health clinics.
While the new Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been in the news this week, Friesen said she believes the UG Health Department is mostly giving Pfizer vaccines currently, since the Health Department has the capacity to store the vaccine at very low temperatures.
Vaccine distribution among groups
The UG’s vaccination page, which was started last week, showed that Wyandotte County had given almost as many vaccinations to nonresidents as it had to residents.
Some high-contact workers in Wyandotte County were prioritized under the vaccination plans. A lot of the people who were vaccinated at the UG Health Department did not live here, but worked here, and that group included teachers, school staff, health care workers, grocery workers and food processing workers, according to Friesen.
Age group 35 to 44 has received the most vaccinations at the UG Health Department so far, with 1,082 persons vaccinated in that age group, according to the UG vaccination webpage.
The UG vaccination page also pointed out that it did not include any vaccinations received by Wyandotte County residents at other sites, such as at hospitals or clinics, or through their work in other counties.
The first couple of phases of the Kansas vaccination plan were set up around employment, Friesen said, and as they move more toward age and later, toward health conditions, they will be vaccinating more residents at their sites.
The UG’s vaccination webpage showed 3,030 white persons were vaccinated, as compared to 745 Black persons. Listed as unknown were 1,739 persons.
Also, the page listed 3,363 non-Hispanic persons were vaccinated in Wyandotte County, as compared to 1,025 Hispanic. Listed as unknown were 1,371 persons.
The Health Department stated on its webpage that vaccinations did not yet reflect race and ethnicity rates of the county because priorities in the first two phases of the Kansas vaccine plan were based on employment, including health care workers, first responders and educators. As the vaccination process moves forward, they are trying to make access to vaccinations more equitable and trying to reach communities of color and people living in the Zip Codes most impacted by COVID-19, who are at the highest risk, according to the website.
The UG’s vaccination webpage is at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-vaccines-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/wyco-vaccine-data.