Iowa Ranks in Middle of Pack in Vaccinating Residents for COVID-19

IOWA - Iowa ranks 18th in the country for percentage of residents who've received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Numbers from the CDC show three-percent of the state has been given the vaccine, which is slightly above the national average.

West Virginia, North Dakota and neighboring South Dakota are the top three states in percentage of resident receiving the vaccine. All three have a rate above five percent.

Iowa's currently in the first stage (phase 1A) of giving out doses, which are reserved for health care worker and long-term care centers.

The state says it'll need 75,000 to 150,000 more doses to complete the first stage.

The rollout of the next stage, known as 1b, will begin in the next couple of weeks, February 1st at the latest.

The next stage will focus on people over 75 years old and high-risk groups, such as people living with disabilities or in prisons. Workers at meatpacking plants, where a number of COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred, will also be included.

The next round of vaccines will be administered through employer-based clinics. There are also approximately 1,700 enrolled vaccine providers in the state. Many of these providers are pharmacies and clinical offices that are equipped to handle screening and scheduling for vaccination efforts.


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