Starting next week, the federal government will begin distributing free COVID-19 rapid tests through a new website, covidtests.gov. The site will launch on Wednesday, Jan. 19, and “tests will typically ship within 7-12 days of ordering,” according to a written statement published by the White House on Friday. The tests are free and so is […]
Linn County Public Health
Posted inCommunity/News
Free at-home COVID-19 test kits now available at Iowa City Hall, Linn County Public Health
Free at-home COVID-19 test kits are now available at City Hall, Iowa City announced on Wednesday morning. These testing kits will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to a news release from the city. “The kits are supplied to the City by Johnson County Public Health and will be […]
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Linn County holding six COVID-19 vaccination clinics at CR schools, will offer gift cards to people who get shots
Linn County Public Health is trying to encourage more residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by adding six one-day vaccine clinics at Cedar Rapids schools starting on Wednesday, and offering a special incentive for those get a shot. “The clinics are open to anyone age 12 and older, with parental consent required for those under […]
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Linn County doctors warn of upcoming COVID surge as hospitalizations rise
Linn County health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated and to practice mitigation measures to ease the burden on the local healthcare system, which has been seeing an increase in hospitalizations, as the Delta variant fuels an increase in COVID-19 cases. “COVID cases have increased in the preceding two weeks at a pace that […]
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Masks will be required in Linn County buildings starting Monday
Linn County employees and visitors will be required to wear face masks at county-owned facilities starting Monday, regardless of their vaccination status. A divided Board of Supervisors passed the mask mandate during a meeting on Friday morning. The ideological division between supervisors on masks was visible even before the resolution was introduced. Supervisor Stacey Walker […]
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UnityPoint Health holding COVID-19 vaccine clinics this week in Cedar Rapids, as vaccination demand in Iowa continues to drop
UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids is holding a walk-in vaccine clinic this week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The clinic will be held at the MedLabs building, 717 A Ave NE, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on those three days. Individuals coming to the clinic are asked to enter from the lower level entrance. […]
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IDPH tells vaccine sites to temporarily stop using J&J one-shot vaccine after CDC and FDA advise ‘pause’ for safety review
The Iowa Department of Public Health has advised all vaccine administrators in the state to temporary cease using the one-shot Johnson & Johnson following a joint statement on Tuesday morning from the CDC and FDA calling for “a pause in the use of this vaccine.” The CDC and FDA called for the pause in response […]
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A 24-hour vaccine clinic will be held this weekend in downtown CR
There will be a 24-hour COVID-19 vaccine clinic this weekend at the DoubleTree, 350 1st Ave NE, in downtown Cedar Rapids, Linn County Public Health announced on Monday. Anyone 16 years and older is eligible to make an appointment. The large-scale clinic will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday and run through 9 a.m. on […]
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Vaccination clinic with one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be held at Collins Aerospace on Monday and Tuesday (updated)
Update: Linn County Public Health announced on Tuesday morning it is cancelling the second day of the vaccination clinic at Collins Aerospace. The clinic was using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and early on Tuesday the CDC and FDA issued a statement calling for a pause in the use of that vaccine while safety data […]
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Linn County health officials express frustration over state’s allocation of vaccine and lack of local control
In a three-page email to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office and the Iowa Department of Public Health, Linn County officials questioned and criticized the state’s allocation of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as well as pleaded for local control to allocate the single-dose vaccine to vulnerable populations. Tricia Kitzmann, who is Linn County Public Health’s […]
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Cedar Rapids NAACP working with Linn County Public Health to hold two vaccine clinics next week (Updated)
Update: Linn County Public Health announced on Friday the times for the two vaccine clinics. The clinic on Tuesday, April 6, will run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The clinic on Saturday, April 10, will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Instead of receiving the two-dose Moderna vaccine as originally announced, individuals […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Linn County Public Health will begin allocating vaccine to residents with underlying medical conditions starting next week
Linn County Public Health has made “significant changes” to vaccine allocation and will begin vaccinating residents with underlying medical conditions next week, the department announced on Sunday. The Iowa Department of Health announced last Thursday that adults under 65 who have a condition the CDC recognizes as putting them at higher risk of developing severe […]
