In my world it is close to a year since the pandemic started closing down our lives. Since mid-January this year, Mike and I have been volunteering at the county public health vaccination clinic…once or twice a week. Mike has been front desk greeter, runner, or sanitizer. I’ve been doing data entry. In Iowa all vaccinations have to be entered in IRIS (Iowa's Immunization Registry Information System) within 24 hours of vaccination. It takes 30+ volunteers at each clinic in addition to the employees and those doing the vaccinations.
Cerro Gordo Public Health has done an amazing job of organizing and holding the clinics. Sadly, with limited vaccine received each week scheduling has been difficult. It certainly reveals those of privilege…those with internet/cell phone/computer… I’m glad CGPH did set aside a phone only time and reserved vaccine for callers.
Cerro Gordo County has 45,000 population and yet people are outraged when 400 doses of vaccine are claimed in 3 minutes. The governor dropped the age from 75 to 65 and in Mason City alone that added 1000 more folks. Slowly the doses have crept up to 800 a week and now 1600 if the doses arrive. And those are the numbers in my little corner.
And also in my corner of the world condoms are offered free at educational “stations” at the vaccination clinic along with info about lead paint poisoning, breast cancer awareness, food safety. Among this population 65 and older many condom packages were taken.
In straightening out myself, and checking definitions I think this defines isolation and quarantine and the difference:
· Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick.
· Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.
