Reynolds encourages two-dose stragglers to complete their vaccination series

The State of Iowa is looking for new avenues to encourage people to get vaccinated, as demand for vaccine continues to outweigh supply.

During her weekly press conference on Wednesday, May 5, Governor Kim Reynolds reported that more than half of Iowa’s counties have declined their latest allotment of vaccine due to not being able to find a use for it.

“In Iowa, 110 [thousand] doses were offered to counties last week, including nearly 22,000 doses that had been turned down the previous week,” said Reynolds. “Of that total more than 75,000 doses were declined, 54 counties declined their entire allocation, 34 declined a portion of their doses, and 11 counties accepted the full amount.”

Iowa has banked nearly 70,000 doses of vaccine with the CDC, but as demand wanes, that reserve may get redistributed to other states that are still struggling to meet demand.

Reynolds also reiterated the importance of completing the vaccination series for those that have only gotten their first shot. A notable percentage of Iowans are currently overdue for their second dose, due to either scheduling difficulties or seeking to avoid the temporary side effects. Reynolds encouraged those who haven’t yet gotten their second dose to make sure they complete their series.

“It’s more important that you get it late than not get it at all,” said Reynolds.

As part of the effort to reach out to more people, the state is working with Hy-Vee, who is deploying mobile vaccination clinics as large gatherings open. Mobile clinics have been set up at Principal Park to offer vaccinations to baseball fans coming into to watch the Iowa Cubs games. They’ve also been deployed to the Des Moines Farmer’s Market to offer vaccinations to shoppers or just help them get scheduled.

Organizations interested in hosting a pop-up clinic are urged to contact their local public health department to arrange the deployment of a mobile clinic to an event.

As of Sunday, May 9, 1,192,152 Iowans have completed their vaccine series, increasing the total vaccinated population by 94,887. This includes 1,095,619 completing their two-dose series and another 96,533 receiving a single dose vaccination.

In total, the state has administered 2,507,361 doses of vaccine since they were made available. This includes 1,102,431 doses of Moderna; 1,308,314 doses of Pfizer; and 96,533 doses of Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

As of Sunday, there have been 367,717 individuals positive with COVID-19 in the state, increasing the 365,624 total from the week prior by 2,093, continuing the slow but steady drop in new cases from the previous week.

The state has performed a total of 4,891,670 tests on 1,728,061 individuals since the pandemic began, including 3,154,136 PCR tests and 1,737,534 antigen tests. In the last week, the state has processed 39,193 PCR tests and 29,654 antigen tests.

In the last week, 13% of new cases have been among the elderly (age 80+), 16% among older adults (60-79); 27% among middle aged adults (40-59); 41% among young adults (18-39); and 4% among children.

123,610 Iowans have undergone serology testing for coronavirus antibodies, which would indicated that they have had the virus. Of that number, 23,348, about 19%, have tested positive for antibodies.

Of the 808 individuals tested in the last week, 176 of them (21%) have tested positive.

Hospitalizations saw a drop this week, with 169 hospitalized as of Sunday, a decrease of 12 from the week prior. Severe cases requiring an ICU remain at 45.

Reported deaths dropped again over the last week, with the state reporting 25 new deaths bringing the total to 5,985.

In total, approximately 3,490 elderly (58.31%); 2,068 older adults (34.55%), 375 middle aged adults (6.27%), 49 young adults (.82%), and at least one child (.05%) have died from the virus since the pandemic began.

The state has also reported two additional deaths from long term care facilities, bringing the total to 2,323.

Unfortunately, after just a week of having zero outbreaks, a new outbreak in a long term care facility has been reported with 19 cases among residents and staff.