Iowa tops 1 million shots as state struggles to appoint | State News

Des Moines, Iowa (AP) —The state announced on Friday that more than one million coronavirus vaccines have been given to Iowa, despite the struggles of qualified residents to book shots.

The Iowa Department of Public Health said Iowa had given 1.03 million doses. Milestones reflect a significant increase in vaccine supply, but it was unclear how the state would handle the surge in demand as more adults were eligible in the coming months.

Iowa does not have a centralized system for people to book vaccines.Governor Kim Reynolds Dismissal An initial plan to pay Microsoft to set up a state-wide registration and booking scheduling program. Instead, the state has set up a website that provides information on where to get the vaccine, but leaves the schedule to the individual.

“When a pharmacy uploads a new booking schedule, we’ll be contacted by someone who has set an alarm late at night so they can get up and make a reservation,” Democrat Jennifer Confast criticized. .. Handling of vaccine rollouts by Reynolds. “We are here in the midst of a leadership gap.”

For people over the age of 65 who do not have access to online, the state has set up a telephone system through the 211 Information Hotline with a vaccine navigator to help callers make reservations. According to Reynolds, the system received 1,600 calls on Tuesday’s first day of operation and had set up more than 2,000 reservations as of Friday.

“This is a tremendous effort and our state has proven that we have the right teams, providers and processes to vaccinate Iowan in a timely, safe and efficient manner.” Reynolds said in a statement.

President Joe Biden said Thursday evening that he hopes the country will receive sufficient vaccine supply by May 1 so that anyone who wants the vaccine can make an appointment. Reynolds said Iowa could exceed its deadline if vaccine supplies were increased and stable.

It’s unclear if Iowa is ready to handle such an amount of people, even though it looks like there’s already a scheduling bottleneck.

Other states are having a hard time establishing Vaccination scheduling system.. The White House has promised to establish a new website and toll-free phone number by May 1st to help people find a nearby place with the vaccine.

Some states have already opened shots for those who want them. Michigan announced on Friday that all adults are eligible to be vaccinated from April 5th.

Brian Finley, a software application developer at the University of Iowa, set up a Twitter feed on Wednesday to ease the turmoil at the University of Iowa. This feed automatically sends notifications about the availability of new vaccines at pharmacies and other provider locations in the state. By Friday afternoon, the Iowa Vaccine Alerts page had more than 11,000 followers.

Finley said he initially devised software to arrange family reservations and then decided he could help other Iowa states.

“The way Iowa has deployed across the state isn’t the best. It’s hard to get a promise,” he said.

He encourages people to use his alert system wisely and asks whether users should drive across the state to find vaccines or leave small assignments in small towns for their inhabitants. Made me think.

“I can’t (and shouldn’t) make decisions about each and every situation, but we all make responsible decisions based on our benefits and privileges, and for the entire community. I hope I can do my best to. “He said.

Public health officials in Iowa posted 559 newly confirmed virus cases on Friday, killing an additional 11 and a total of 5,631.

Copyright 2021 AP communication. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.