Seven-day positivity rate at 9.8 percent
Greene County public health director Becky Wolf is alerting county residents that on Aug. 13, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended a third dose of mRNA Covid-19 vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) for people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems, with the third dose administered at least 28 days after the second.
Wolf explained persons who should receive a third dose are those who have:
- Been receiving active cancer treatment;
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system;
- Received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system;
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge or Wiskott-Aldrich syndromes);
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection; or
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress the immune system.
She encourages those persons to check with their healthcare provider to see if an addition dose would be beneficial.
Third doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are available locally at
- HyVee and Medicap pharmacies
- Greene County public health
- Greene County Family Medicine; and
- McFarland Clinic
There is not enough data at this time to determine whether immune-compromised people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have an improved antibody response following an additional dose.
According to the CDC Data Tracker, 924 Greene County residents have had Covid-19. The level of community transmission (ability to spread) decreased to “substantial” (Aug. 7-13 data). The 7-day positivity rate for testing is 9.8 percent.
Vaccination rates have changed little since the last report. Of the total population, 48.2 percent are fully vaccinated. The percent fully vaccinated by age group is 56.7 percent for children age 12 and older; 59.5 percent for adults 18 years and older; and 88.8 percent for those age 65 and older.
