HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Commissioners and Interim Health Department Director Karen Hammersmith took time Tuesday to discuss how any pandemic vaccinations would be distributed once they begin to arrive. Hammersmith told the board that its distribution will follow KDHE guidelines and will start with those on the front lines of the pandemic and will follow along a similar path as when the area was dealing with the H1N1 flu.
“This goes to a little bit different clientele because obviously we know that the people who have comorbidities and are older are much more needed (of a vaccine),” Hammersmith said. “So it will go to health care workers and those individuals.”
While everyone is waiting for the vaccine to become available, Hammersmith says that whatever the timeline is, it won’t come quickly.
“It’s going to trickle in. We’re never going to get large amounts,” Hammersmith said. “So as it trickles in, we’ll get the health care providers taken care of because you can’t take care of somebody if you can’t take care of yourself.”
County Commissioner Mark Steffen asked the county to stress that it needs to make sure educators and school employees are at the top of the list behind health care workers when it comes to prioritizing the vaccine.
“I like that we entertain the idea of some sort of recommendation that school employees, both public and private, that they’re high-risk employees,” Steffen said.
Commissioner Ron Sellers agreed that education needs to be a priority, especially for instructors. Hammersmith says that, with breakouts of the pandemic occurring in schools, they will likely be near toward the top of the list.
“We will be following the guidelines set forth by the KDHE,” Hammersmith said. “I do believe because we have a number of outbreaks in the schools . . . that group will be included.”
Hammersmith says more information will be coming as the vaccine makes its way to Kansas.