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(Iowa Media) — Those who got the first dose of the COVID vaccine mid-December are now getting their second dose.
As of Tuesday evening, 11 staff at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics had received the second dose, almost exactly 21 days after getting their first dose. There are 6,840 employees there who have gotten the COVID vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control COVID data tracker shows 60,137 Iowans have gotten the first dose as of 9 a.m. Tuesday. This is roughly half of the state’s initial vaccine supply, totaling 120,175 doses. Sarah Eckstrand, a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Health, shared a similar total. Eckstrand said any discrepancy was due to a difference in publishing times.
IDPH is working to publish vaccine tracking data on the state’s COVID dashboard. Eckstrand anticipates it will go live within a few weeks. Until then, the department plans to provide weekly updates.
A vaccine progress report is expected this week, with details on the reporting metrics.
Iowa’s vaccination rate is on track with its neighboring states with the exception of South Dakota, although their distribution was roughly a third of what Iowa received.
“We’re working with states to make it easier for people to get vaccinated,” said US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams on NBC’s Today.
When can the public get vaccinated?
The federal government allowed the fine details of vaccine distribution up to the discretion of individual states.
We expect COVID-19 vaccines to be widely available to the general public later in 2021. Eligibility, timelines and processes will depend on the number of available vaccine doses. As soon as we have more information to proceed, we will partner with public health to contact people who are eligible for the vaccine regarding next steps.
An update email sent to UnityPoint Health patients
Iowa’s latest COVID vaccine distribution strategy, updated December 4th, indicates the IDPH is following the guidance of the CDC by prioritizing frontline healthcare workers to get the vaccine first.
Plans are underway for the state to get the vaccine to those in the second tier recommended by the CDC, long term care residents. It’s expected that “essential workers” could be included in that tier. Eligibility and distribution are still being determined.
The surgeon general suggest that state’s make their strategies more fluid.
“If the demand isn’t there in 1A, go to 1B and continue on down. And if the demand isn’t there in one location, move those vaccines to another location,” Dr. Adams said.
It’s likely that the vaccine won’t become available until the later part of the year for the general public, those who don’t fall into the priority groups of healthcare workers, long term care residents, essential workers, and those with underlying conditions.
The public is not currently allowed to sign up to get the vaccine ahead of time.
Dr. Adams is also suggesting that state’s work with pharmacy companies to administer the vaccine, much like what’s done with the flu shot.
“But they’re ramped up; they’re ready to go. And we can send those vaccines to those pharmacies, if those states tell us to,” Adams said. “We really appreciate the partnership with CVS, Walgreens and other pharmacies partners who know how to do this. We don’t need to recreate the wheel… we just need to get it rolling.”
He expects more details will come this week on the topic.
More information on Iowa’s approach to COVID-19 can be found here.
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