Reynolds Announces Iowa To Get More COVID-19 Vaccines, But Urges People To Have Patience
(Des Moines) — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is urging Iowans to be patientwhile the state receives COVID-19 vaccine dosages. During her news conference held Wednesday morning, the governor announced that the state was given assurances from federal government officials that additional vaccine doses
would be forthcoming.
Reynolds also announced that Johnson and Johnson pharmaceutical company will be given fast-track approval for their COVID-19 vaccine, and their vaccine will be made available to the public within a few weeks.
The governor reflected on the speed of the development of the various vaccines now being made available, as well as the distribution of those vaccines. Reynolds says, already, 200,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed to Iowans.
Reynolds says, in due time, the supply of COVID vaccines to be made available for Iowans will catch up to the demand for the vaccines.
Reynolds says she was given assurances the vaccination of residents of Iowa’s long-term care facilities have been running on schedule with round one should be completed by the end of this week, and round two will conclude in late February.
Iowa Pharmacies Stand Ready To Assist With Distribution Of COVID-19 Vaccines
(Des Moines) — Governor Reynolds says plenty of providers stand ready to distribute the vaccines when they become available. She says several local pharmacies will assist with the vaccination of Iowans, including within rural areas. Lindsey Ludwig is the Executive Director with the Community Pharmacy
Enhanced Service Network of Iowa which consists of more than 120 community pharmacies across Iowa appeared on the governor’s news conference to explain the strategy to be used to make certain everyone from the largest cities to the rural regions will be vaccinated. Ludwig says the community pharmacist
is trusted and in many cases is usually the health care provider for many smaller communities.
Ludwig went on to tell of some specific instances where pharmacists have helped in east-central Iowa.
Ludwig says Iowans have many questions when it comes to the vaccine and procedure for vaccination against COVID-19.
The CPESN official says local pharmacists are trying to obtain important information regarding the vaccine and the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, and they are sharing that information with their patients and communities.
Ludwig suggests people visit with their local pharmacist to stay informed as to when the vaccine will be made available.
(photos contributed.)
Plans For 2021 Iowa State Fair Moving Forward During Pandemic
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor Kim Reynolds is confident there will be a 2021 Iowa State Fair. It was canceled last summer for the first time since World War II due to the COVID pandemic. State Fair C-E-O Gay Slater says he is relying on a majority of Iowans being vaccinated by early summer. Staff is
monitoring coronavirus across the state and will make a decision within 90 days on whether the event can be held in-person. Slater says this year’s fair will be just like the one they were planning last year. He expects around 200 food vendors to return this summer. Officials are looking at socially distancing areas, hand washing and sanitizing stations, and other
proposals to make it a safe event.
GOP Candidate Dickey Wins Senate District 41 Special Election
(Ottumwa, IA) — Iowa Republicans will hang on to the Senate District 41 seat in the southeast corner of the state. G-O-P candidate Adrian Dickey of Packwood topped Democrat Mary Stewart of Ottumwa in Tuesday’s special election. The seat was vacated by Republican Congresswoman Mariannette
Miller-Meeks. Dickey is a trucking company president and a firefighter. He says one of his top priorities is raising the state tax credit for volunteer firefighters from 100 to one-thousand dollars.
Northwest Iowa Man Convicted of Murdering Wife Dies of COVID in Prison
(Coralville, IA) — A northwest Iowa man convicted of killing his wife in 2003 is the 14th state prison inmate to die of coronavirus complications. Harold Duncan of Spencer was serving a life sentence for the fatal shooting of Karen Duncan. The Iowa Department of Corrections says 89-year-old Duncan died Tuesday morning in a hospice room at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale. Officials say Duncan likely died due to COVID-19 and other medical conditions. One-hundred-17 inmates currently have the virus and two-thirds of them are in the Newton Correctional Facility.
Seven Iowa DOT Snowplows Involved in Crashes, One State Patrol Car Rear-Ended
(Des Moines, IA) — More than 750 snowplows were clearing Iowa roads following a foot-plus of snow in some areas. The Iowa D-O-T says seven plows were involved in crashes late Monday into Tuesday. No serious injuries were reported in any of the crashes. The Iowa State Patrol says one trooper’s squad car was rear-ended on Interstate 80 in Des Moines. That trooper
suffered minor injuries. More snow is on the way this weekend for parts of the state.
