CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Law enforcement agencies are at the forefront of the current phase of vaccinations in Iowa.
Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said their department has not yet started vaccinating employees, he said less than half of them are interested in receiving him.
Gardner said he does not necessarily consider this percentage to be low, but on average compared to other law enforcement or corrections. However, he is smaller than he hopes.
Gardner said he surveyed staff to see who would be ready and willing to receive a vaccine, and also provided information from state and county public health departments about getting a vaccine. He said they would not need employees to get the vaccine, but hoped that as they received more information about the distribution, more employees would come to get the vaccine.
As to why less than 50% of employees surveyed want to get shot, it is not certain.
“I think at least for me and my family, it seems to be what needs to be done. There may be legitimate reasons why some of our employees do not receive the vaccine. And, on the contrary, I know that some of my employees have already received the vaccine. They managed to get it elsewhere, rather than through the channels here at the sheriff’s office, ”Gardner said. “I encourage anyone who wants to get it. We provided them with as much factual information as possible so that they could make an informed decision. ”
Gardner said prison staff are approved in advance to distribute the vaccine, but since the public health vaccine requires very cold storage, they will not be able to store it internally or in prison. For this reason, they will be vaccinated from local hospitals.
Once and if they receive a vaccine that can be stored indoors, prison health care staff can distribute shots to inmates and correctional facility staff.
Gardner said he believes it is important for staff to receive the vaccine, as it will be the fastest way to get back to normal.
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