COVID-19 Vaccination Information
As you may know, per CDC guidelines, the state of Iowa recently announced that it was expanding the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to include those 64 years of age and younger with medical conditions that put them at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
As a result and per Linn County Public Health, hospitals, including Mercy, will begin expanding vaccination appointments to include individuals in the newly eligible groups, which also includes all tiers within 1B groups. However, supply remains limited and insufficient to meet the demand, especially with so many more individuals now eligible. Therefore, we are urging the community to be patient when seeking an appointment.
Mercy will continue to post updates on its website as information becomes available. To date, Mercy has administered more than 20,000 doses to multiple groups, including employees and community members since beginning vaccinations in December 2020.
Travel Guidance
As the temperature rises, you may start to think about traveling. Please keep in mind that the CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. If possible, delay your travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. If you do travel, please follow all CDC recommendations before, during and after travel .
Additionally, note that all air passengers coming to the U.S., including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a flight to the U.S. And, remember masks are required on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation into, within or out of the U.S. in U.S. transportation hubs, such as airports and stations.
Continue Mitigation Strategies
While the vaccine is incredibly effective, remember that the COVID-19 vaccine – like all vaccines – is not 100% effective in preventing the virus. For this reason and until vaccination rates are high enough to reach heard immunity, we must remain diligent in the mitigation strategies. This, as you know, includes wearing masks, cleaning hands frequently and keeping a safe social distance.
To that end, visitor restrictions and limited entry points remain in place at Mercy. We also continue to require all staff to wear a mask and ask all visitors and patients to do the same, as well.
