The numbers are starting to come in from the superspreader event in our neighboring state of South Dakota known as the Sturgis Bike Rally. They are frightening. If the those fiction writers who wrote some of the classics of the horror genre had written stories with such a plot they would be extremely prod. The…
Roughly half of Iowa adults could become eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations as soon as next week, now that the state has decided to make the shots available to people with certain health conditions.
But health officials in several Iowa counties, who were surprised by the state s announcement, said Friday they don t expect to have enough vaccine to handle the influx right away.
The Iowa Department of Public Health announced Thursday evening that the state would make the major expansion of eligibility, starting Monday. Hundreds of thousands of Iowans have at least one of the new eligibility conditions, which include obesity, high blood pressure, pregnancy, smoking and diabetes.
By Sue Danielson
Jan 14, 2021
(Des Moines, IA) Polk County Health Director Helen Eddy says efforts continue to vaccine health care workers and residents of long term care facilities in the county. She says the process is going well, and they are distributing vaccines as quickly as received. Eddy, a guest on WHO Radio s Jeff Angelo Show today (Thursday), said that they expect to enter the next phase of vaccinations next month.
That next phase (1-B) will include residents who are 75-years old and older, as well as other high-risk individuals. Eddy says they will distribute vaccine to clinics and pharmacies, and announce further details as soon as possible. She says it s a balancing act, they do not want to over-promise when supplies are still limited as of yet. Eddy says vaccines are being distributed by the state to counties as quickly as shipments arrive in the state.
The governor announced that she would ease some restrictions, including a requirement that bars and restaurants close by 10 p.m. But she said the public must remain vigilant, including by staying home when sick, avoiding large crowds and wearing masks when they can t stay distant from others. We are so close to seeing the end of this, she said.
Kelly Garcia, director of Iowa s Department of Human Services, said a second version of the vaccine, made by Moderna, could arrive in Iowa by Monday if it is approved by federal regulators this week, as expected.
Garcia noted that unlike the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna version doesn t need to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures, and it will be shipped in smaller lots. Those factors could be useful in vaccinating Iowans in rural areas, she said.
The governor announced that she would ease some restrictions, including a requirement that bars and restaurants close by 10 p.m. But she said the public must remain vigilant, including by staying home when sick, avoiding large crowds and wearing masks when they can t stay distant from others. We are so close to seeing the end of this, she said.
Kelly Garcia, director of Iowa s Department of Human Services, said a second version of the vaccine, made by Moderna, could arrive in Iowa by Monday if it is approved by federal regulators this week, as expected.
Garcia noted that unlike the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna version doesn t need to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures, and it will be shipped in smaller lots. Those factors could be useful in vaccinating Iowans in rural areas, she said.