Scott County Government: Iowa Announces Expanded Eligibility For COVID-19 Vaccine

Press release from the Scott County Government:

March 5, 2021

On Thursday, March 4, the Iowa Department of Public Health announced that beginning Monday, March 8, health care providers are now authorized to vaccinate individuals 64 years of age and younger with medical conditions that are or may be an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.  Qualifying underlying conditions can be found here:  CDC's List of Underlying Conditions.  The IDPH press announcement also stated:  "This announcement comes as several Iowa counties have reported they are nearing completion for vaccinating previous priority population groups. Some counties and vaccine providers will remain focused on previous priority populations until they are closer to completion.  Because vaccine production has not fully met the demand for vaccine, Iowans will need to remain patient as vaccine production increases. The White House announced this week that by the end of May, there will be enough vaccine for anyone over the age of 16 who chooses to receive one."\

Scott County still has thousands of individuals in the Phase 1B 65+ priority group and individuals in the Phase 1B Tier 2-5 priority groups still needing vaccine.  As with each move between phases of the vaccine prioritization groups, this transition will take time.  We are hopeful that increased vaccine supply in the upcoming weeks will help smooth this transition.

We intend to share updates the week of March 8 on how this transiition in Scott County will take place.  We ask for your patience.

This press release was produced by the Scott County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.