The Purchase District Health Department is providing a pre-registration vaccination form online for those who would like to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the region.
Pre-registration is only available to those in the department’s service region of Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, Hickman and McCracken counties within the subcategories of the state’s Phase 1 vaccine distribution plan. Health care workers, school employees, people 70 years old or older, and high-risk individuals 16 years old and up are Phase 1A.
Those who are high risk include those with chronic kidney disease, cancer, COPD, Down syndrome, heart conditions, a weakened immune system from an organ transplant, obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, type 2 diabetes, and smokers. Essential workers in Phase 1C include mail delivery, public transit, finance, cleaning services, security, and manufacturers.
“The ones who were wanting a vaccine were trying to call because they don’t know what to do, so we were putting it out,” Carlisle County Judge Executive Greg Terry said. “Now that the health districts have your information, they can prioritize them from the oldest in the category of 70-plus. So that’s who we are trying to target after we do first responders and now school teachers.”
Terry said some people in Carlisle County were unaware of how to sign up now for a COVID-19 vaccine and contacted the health department for help. He said this pre-registration form gives people more of a timeframe for when they could receive a vaccine. For those in the 70-plus age group, Terry said the pre-registration form is easy and simple for those who may not have access to social media.
“I think this could expedite people to get a shot. Of course in the second round, they’re gonna need some information on that as well. We’re trying to get the information out to the people.We want to give access to everybody,” Terry said.
The Purchase District Health Department is working with Lourdes Mercy Health-Lourdes Hospital in Paducah to begin vaccinating the 70-plus population.
