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Iowa early News Headlines: Monday, March 15 2021

News

March 15th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Tyson says about a third of workers at its Waterloo, Iowa have received the COVID-19 vaccine. The Quad-City Times on Sunday reported the vaccination rate at the plant, where the virus has already sickened about a third of the site’s nearly 3,000 employees. Waterloo Tyson is linked to at least six worker deaths from the coronavirus. The company hosted vaccination clinics this month for Waterloo workers. The virus has ravaged the meatpacking industry across the U.S.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Iowa, even as residents who qualify struggle to make appointments for a shot. The Iowa Department of Public Health said Friday that Iowa has administered 1.03 million doses. The milestone reflects significant increases in vaccine supplies but it’s unclear how the state will handle surging demand as more adults become eligible in the coming months. Iowa has no centralized system for people to secure a vaccine appointment.

Iowa City (AP) — As virus cases plummeted, Iowa quietly extended a $3.9 million contact tracing contract with a company owned by a major Republican Party donor and supporter of Gov. Kim Reynolds. The Iowa Department of Public Health hired MCI, an Iowa City telemarketing firm, in November to trace the contacts of Iowa residents infected with COVID-19 after a one-day emergency bidding process. The two-month, $2.3 million contract came during an explosion of cases that filled up hospitals with patients and after counties had for months complained of a shortage of contact tracing workers. Four days before MCI’s contract was to expire on Jan. 31, Iowa’s state epidemiologist signed a three-month contract extension with MCI that is worth another $1.6 million.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police in northern Iowa are investigating the discovery of what appear to be human bones. Mason City police said in a news release that a resident found the bones, along with clothing, on Thursday on the shore of the Winnebago River. Officers searched the area and found additional bones. Everything that was collected was transported to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner for examination.