Sedgwick County is now providing the COVID-19 vaccine to people 80 years of age and older, and county leaders said Thursday that more shipments of the vaccine will be coming in on a regular basis.

The county started phase two of the state’s vaccination plan by focusing on people 90 and older, and then that was changed to 83 and older.   The county’s Local Health Officer, Dr. Garold Minns, said it was decided to focus on older populations because they are more likely to develop serious complications, and because of limited supplies of the vaccine.  Dr. Minns said at a news conference that local hospitals are still at a critical capacity, so by focusing on the most vulnerable, the county will be able to reduce hospital admissions.

Deputy county manager Tim Kaufman said the state will begin providing a regular weekly shipment of the vaccine, and the county expects to receive 7,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week.    He said the county is now accepting appointments from people 80 and older.

Kaufman said people with appointments for this Friday and Saturday should go to the Health Department facility at 1900 East 9th.    The INTRUST Bank Arena will be open once again as a vaccination site starting Monday, February 1st.    People with mobility issues can go to a drive-through clinic at the Wichita Transit Operations Center at 777 East Waterman.

Appointments can be made by going to the county’s web page at www.sedgwickcounty.org.   People who do not have online access can call 660-1029 to schedule an appointment.

Kaufman said appointments will only be scheduled for vaccine that is on hand, and the vaccine will only be available to Sedgwick County residents.  State health officials have said that people can go to other counties to get the vaccine, but each county can decide their own criteria for providing the shots.

Dr. Minns said the vaccine schedule is a marathon, not a sprint, and it will depend on the supplies available.   In addition to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, there are two other companies that may get approval for their vaccines in the next month.   Dr. Minns said when those new vaccines are approved there will be more doses available, so it’s looking good that the county will have more vaccine available in the coming months.

The county has provided over 12,000 vaccinations, but that number does not include vaccinations given by hospitals to their workers and staff, and it does not include doses provided to residents and staff of long-term care facilities.