DAVENPORT, Iowa — One year ago on April fifth, Scott County experienced it’s first covid-19 related death.
"It was still fairly early, you know. Many in in the Quad Cities and many throughout the Midwest all thought this was a West Coast and East Coast problem," Scott County Board Supervisor, Ken Croken said, "on April 5 it all suddenly came home."
Today, the county’s COVID-19 death toll sits at 232 with over 5,000 deaths in the state of Iowa.
Croken is proposing a memorial to remember Scott county residents who died from COVID-19. Glass blower Joel Ryser created a special design to pay tribute to all 262 lives lost. The memorial features glass doves that represent every life lost to COVID-19 in Scott County.
"They're never going to be able to forget this happen, because there's an empty chair of the thanksgiving table forever," Croken said, "and that won't go away simply with time."
One year later, and Iowa is expanding their COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to sixteen plus.
"I think that every time we mark one of those milestones, it gives us time to pause and reflect. And to reflect not only on the people who've been ill and the people who've lost their lives, but the work that's been done to make it not as bad as it is," Deputy Director of Scott County Health Department, Amy Thoreson said.
People between the 16-17 age group can only receive the Pfizer vaccine. Every other age group can is eligible to receive any of the vaccines.
"Do not to wait. we don't know what's coming to our community," Thoreson said. "We don't know when it's coming. and so the best vaccine, you can get is the one that's available to you."