Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Thursday, said the first of 172,000 total doses of a vaccine to protect Iowans against the Coronavirus, are set to arrive in a little more than a week. (See the full schedule here: Vaccine_Brief_Vaccine_Dec3_2020 (2) ). The first 26,000 doses produced by Pfizer (Pending Federal Regulatory approval) should arrive by December 13th

Health care professionals, including Long-Term Care Center staff and their patients will be a priority when it comes to getting the vaccine, according to Kelly Garcia, Interim Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Garcia says the Moderna vaccine has slightly different storage and usage criteria than the Pfizer vaccine.

Garcia says a portion of Iowa’s initial distribution will be to health care facilities across the State. She said the CDC is allocating the COVID-19 vaccine in Iowa based on population size and target populations, such as the elderly and immuno-compromised persons. Garcia says the state’s nailed down 39 locations so far for ultra-cold storage. She says by the middle of next year, there should be plenty of vaccine for everyone who wants it.

Governor Kim Reynolds said thanks to Iowans’ efforts in preventing the spread of COVID, 30 Long-Term Care facilities will soon drop-off the list of outbreaks, because their number of cases have been below the criteria for outbreak status, more than 28-days.