The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now becoming available in the state of Iowa. Roughly 120,000 projected doses are expected to be available to the public soon, 500 of these doses have already been administered to healthcare workers on the front lines. 

Further, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City confirmed that it received the first shipment of around 1,000 doses of the vaccine. It will first be administered to frontline healthcare workers as well as leaders of the pandemic response.

Gradually, the doses will eventually become available to the public. The priority is the frontline healthcare workers and staff, and also residents of long-term care facilities (such as retirement homes). The chain mainly goes from most at-risk to least at risk. This means that healthy Central students will likely receive their vaccinations later than most people in Davenport, and those students and staff that have health conditions and that are more at-risk will probably receive their vaccinations first. 

What are our leaders saying about this?

Governor Kim Reynolds said in a statement, “While this is a positive step forward, it will take time until the vaccine is widely available. Until then, we must continue to mitigate the virus by practicing public health measures so we can protect the most vulnerable and preserve hospital resources, while keeping our economy open and our kids in school.”

Kelly Garcia, interim Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, said that she expects that the vaccine will be available to anyone who wants it by mid-2021. 

Let’s hope her expectation comes true.