(Des Moines) At Wednesday’s press conference, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says Iowa’s momentum continues towards recovery from the pandemic.
Iowa’s 14 and seven-day average positivity rate dropped to 3.9%. Total hospitalization rates are down 90% since the peak in November. And as of Tuesday, only one long-term care facility remained on the outbreak list, with no additional positive cases have been reported since February 17th.
Reynolds says the vaccine is working, and life is getting back to normal. By the end of this month, the Governor says every long-term care facility in Iowa will have completed the vaccination program.
Governor Reynolds says nationwide, more than 3-million doses of the vaccine have been administered in nursing homes through the Federal Pharmacy Care Partnership. Last week, this prompted CMS and the CDC to finally expand long-term care visitation options limited for nearly one year.
The updated guidance released last week allows responsible indoor visitations at all times for all residents, regardless of the vaccination status of a resident or visitor, with some exceptions.
Governor Reynolds says starting April 6, all Iowans will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as long as vaccine allocations increase as projected.
