All Iowans eligible for vaccines April 5

Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday that, beginning April 5, all Iowans will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Upon hearing the news, area public health officials said that the governor's announcement was good news.

'I'm glad she did it,” Jefferson County Public Health Director Christ Estle said. 'It's exciting to be moving along. We're glad to be this close.”

Henry County Public Health Director Shelley Van Dorin said that the county is in a good place to be able to get ready for the expanded eligibility.

'We're doing pretty well,” Van Dorin said. 'Ages 65 and over are pretty much done.”

Henry County has more vaccine clinics scheduled for March 18 and 23.

Washington County Public Health Director Danielle Pettit-Majewski said that the governor's announcement was not a big surprise.

'Since so many people have underlying health conditions, it's not surprising that the state opened it up at this point,” Pettit-Majewski said.

On March 8, Iowans under age 65 with certain health conditions that make them more susceptible to COVID-19 became eligible to receive vaccines.

Pettit-Majewski said that accounts for about a million Iowans, about a third of the state's population.

Whether everyone will be able to actually receive a vaccine depends on whether the state's vaccine allocation increases.

'This will depend on the manufacturers increasing the allocation,” Pettit-Majewski said. 'My hope is that we will be able to get more vaccines allocated.”

She added that she expects counties will receive higher allocations at the end of March, a thought echoed by Estle.

'I hope we receive an increase in allocation,” Estle said. 'I believe we will.”

Van Dorin said that she and her staff will have to look at the situation and 'hammer out the details.”

She suggested that anyone under 65 with an underlying health condition try to get an appointment before eligibility opens up on April 5.

'They should try to get it done ahead of time,” Van Dorin said.

Reynolds announced the expanded eligibility Wednesday at a news conference.

'Getting vaccinated is the most important thing that each of us can do to ensure that our state's recovery from COVID-19 is both strong and sustainable. We all want life to bet back to normal,” Reynolds said Wednesday during her weekly news conference at Iowa PBS studios.

Reynolds said widespread vaccination is the key to Iowa businesses rebounding, in-person graduation ceremonies being held, full attendance at churches, and families reuniting.

'All these things are possible, and soon. But like everything else over this past year, it will depend on all of us doing our part for the greater good,” Reynolds said, encouraging all Iowans to pledge to get vaccinated and encourage their family, friends and co-workers to do the same.

Iowans who will become eligible on April 5 should not yet attempt to schedule a vaccination appointment. Reynolds said she will provide another update next week after another conference call with federal officials.

As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 425,000 Iowans have completed their COVID-19 vaccination and another 320,000-plus have received the first dose of the vaccines that require two doses, according to state public health data.

As supply of the vaccine has been limited since the rollout started in December, the state prioritized different population groups to become eligible to receive the vaccine: it started with health care workers and long-term care residents and staff, then expanded to include older Iowans, first responders, teachers and education staff, food processing and manufacturing workers, and correctional facility staff and incarcerated individuals.

Eligibility earlier this month was expanded to include any adult Iowans with a serious health condition.

Roughly 2.1 million Iowans are in the 18-plus age group for which the vaccine is intended.

Reynolds and interim state public health director Kelly Garcia expressed confidence the state and local public health departments, in conjunction with private health care partners, will be prepared for the influx of Iowans hoping to make a vaccine appointment starting April 5. Garcia said the capacity to move more doses is there; the challenge has been having sufficient supply to distribute.

'We're working on it every day. Every single day,” Reynolds said. She said the state is constantly working with different partners in the private business and nonprofit sectors in order to expand the distribution of vaccines as more doses become available. 'We're continually looking for those partnerships.”

Erin Murphy of Lee Enterprises contributed to this report.