DES MOINES, Iowa -- The State of Iowa is planning mass COVID vaccination clinics for some of it's largest employers, like meat packing plants starting today.
"Our plan is to vaccinate 160,000 employees at the 456 food processing, ag production, and manufacturing and distribution companies across Iowa," said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds in a press conference Wednesday.
There were large COVID-19 outbreaks at meat processing plants that led to worker deaths and plant shutdowns, and caused shortages in the food supply.
Tyson Foods stopped production at it's largest pork processor in Waterloo last April after more than half of it's workers tested positive for COVID-19.
Fearing shortages, grocery stores started limiting the sale of meat and other purchases like toilet paper, some cleaning supplies, and hand sanitizer, and some still are.
Tyson first began offering the COVID-19 vaccine shots to meatpacking workers in Illinois last month and now Tyson plans to vaccinate thousands of workers in several states.
Tyson says it plans to vaccinate 13-thousand Iowa workers this week at it's Columbus Junction, Council Bluffs, Independence, Perry, Sioux City, Storm Lake, and Waterloo plants.
Governor Reynolds says the essential workers will get vaccinations over the next five weeks.