Possible Delays In COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution

County health departments across eastern Iowa are expecting delays in their ability to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to the newly announced eligible group. The IDPH announced last week that those ages 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions will be eligible for the shot as of yesterday. County health departments say they were not ready for the announcement and didn’t have time to prepare. Dubuque County Health still has about 8,000 people to vaccinate from previous groups, which is the case in many other counties as well. In multiple counties, there are still individuals age 65 or older, essential workers, and many others who fall into the eligible Phase 1B tiers who have yet to be vaccinated.