JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) - Iowa expects to allow any adult to get a coronavirus vaccine starting April 5, the governor said Wednesday.
The state expects to receive enough vaccine to open eligibility to anyone age 18 or older who wants one, Gov. Kim Reynolds said.
“When this occurs, once again there is going to be more demand than supply at first, just as we’ve experienced each time eligibility was expanded. So please be patient. As our weekly allocations continue to increase so will the number of appointments available and soon there will be enough vaccine for everyone,” she said.
Many Iowans have gotten frustrated trying to book an appointment to get vaccinated, in part because the state has no centralized vaccine registration or appointment system. Instead, people must must go online and attempt to find open appointments through providers’ websites.
Reynolds rejected an initial plan to contract with Microsoft for a centralized registration system in February and instead opted to set up a phone system for older Iowans who might have trouble reserving one online. That system has made 4,000 appointments and may soon be opened up to others who face technological challenges.
Even though eligibility appears set to expand to all adults next month, it still could take weeks to book an opening. But additional pharmacies, clinics and other health care providers will join the effort, and Reynolds said existing providers are upgrading their appointment systems, which could alleviate some of the pressure.
“You’re going to see that wait continue to decline, but it is a supply and demand issue and it’s going to be for awhile,” she said.
Iowa has administered 1.33 million vaccine doses, she said.
Reynolds announced an outreach effort between Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Corinthian Baptist Church and United Way of Central Iowa to reach minority and economically vulnerable populations who have the highest rates of rejecting getting vaccinated.
She also said the state would use federal funds to help Iowans who are at risk of eviction and foreclosure.
The Iowa rent and utility assistance program is funded through a $195 million allocated to the Iowa Finance Authority. Rent assistance can include past-due payments because of coronavirus-related income losses and up to three months of future assistance. Utility assistance is for past-due payments only, said Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
That program and the foreclosure prevention assistance program for homeowners who have fallen behind on payments due to the pandemic begin taking applications Monday at iowahousingrecovery.com.
Iowa on Wednesday reported 829 new confirmed coronavirus cases and eight additional deaths, pushing its pandemic death toll to 5,683. Meanwhile, the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Iowa had decreased over the previous two weeks, going from roughly 482 as of March 8 to about 448 as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.
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