Residents in Washington County can receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this Monday. 

A mobile vaccine clinic will be making a stop in Kalona from 4-7 p.m. on the east end of B Avenue between 6th and 7th streets. Rural Health & Safety of Eastern Iowa Co-founder Roger Stutsman explains why the organization was founded and why they help sponsor the clinic, “My wife and I and my son, the only child we had, was killed in a farm accident. It’s been 13 years and still everyday I have to deal with it. When I pass away, if I can say that I have saved some people the grief that I have been through then it would be a success. We’re after everybody, not just agricultural people, but it’s a way to keep people from losing more people.”

Stutsman says it was a relief when his 13-year-old granddaughter who has underlying health conditions got her COVID-19 vaccine, but he has since been distressed to see people he knows recently die from the virus, as cases and deaths in Iowa have increased due to the Delta variant. As of Thursday the state coronavirus dashboard shows those not fully vaccinated account for 79.4% of hospitalized COVID patients and 88% of those in the ICU. Everyone ages 12 and up is welcome to receive the vaccine and no appointment is required.