(Des Moines, IA) -- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is again asking Iowans get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as one is available to them. The comment came during a news conference today (Wednesday) in which she remarked that middle aged adults are lagging behind other age groups, when it comes to vaccinations completed. Reynolds also notes that while cases among the elderly have declined, most of those hospitalized due to COVID are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.
Governor Reynolds says the state has received it's largest allotment of a vaccine so far this week, with nearly 161-thousand doses. She notes the state has received nearly 46-thousand doses of the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. She says the J & J vaccine will be be sent to remaining employer clinics and then to college campuses. The state is focusing on young adults because they lead all age groups in coronavirus positivity. College campus are making plans for large-scale vaccination programs yet this spring, before students return home for the summer.
Reynolds says the White House says there will be a big drop in J & J vaccine doses next week, continuing through the end of April. Those doses are expected to ramp up again in May.
Twenty-eight percent of all Iowans are fully vaccinated. Most Iowans 65-and older have been vaccinated.
On another matter, Governor Reynolds stated she opposes the concept of vaccine passports, floated by some businesses across the country. She says if need be, she'll talk to lawmakers or sign an executive order to ban them. Most states and the White House have come out opposed to the concept.