Linn County eyeing Lindale Mall for mass vaccination site

CEDAR RAPIDS - Linn County is considering offering a mass vaccination clinic at Lindale Mall, if enough vaccines become available.

Linn County supervisors on Wednesday agreed to sign a certificate of insurance as part of an agreement with the mall. The certificate will allow Linn County Public Health to use space in the mall for a vaccination clinic.

Kaitlin Emrich, assessment and health promotion supervisor at Linn County Public Health said LCPH is looking at April 22 to 28 for clinic at Lindale, but said an exact date hasn't been finalized. She said once a date is determined, LCPH will announce it through a news release and on its social media channels.

The health department is in the planning phase for a mass vaccination clinic, but that will depend, in part, on the amount of vaccine allocated to the county, Linn County Communications Director Joi Alexander said Thursday.

'Essentially, what public health staff is doing now is proactively planning for a mass clinic by securing a location and resources so they are prepared for when/if Linn County receives enough vaccine to be able to offer a mass clinic,” Alexander said.

Emrich said at Lindale, the clinic could administer around 1,000 vaccines per day.

Logistics, cost, supplies and staffing enter into the plan.

'However, the primary reason for not doing larger clinics is due to vaccine supply and the robust capacity of our local vaccine providers,” according to a statement on the public health department's website.

The county is now allocating the vaccines to local health care providers and pharmacies and is holding smaller clinics for targeted populations.

'With the current amount of vaccine Linn County is receiving, this strategy is working efficiently,” the statement reads. 'The model we have used for clinics for targeted populations has helped us prepare for larger scale, public clinics.”

As of Thursday afternoon, 113,446 vaccine doses had been administered in Linn County, with 45,368 county residents fully vaccinated - just over 25 percent of the county's adult population.

The state on Monday is opening vaccines to all Iowans 16 and older, as supplies allow.

This Saturday, state officials and Hy-Vee are offering a mass vaccination site in Des Moines - for individuals 65 or older and adults with underlying health conditions - at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center. The clinic will have around 3,500 doses of vaccine to administer.

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