71% of Eligible Iowans Have Received COVID Vaccine

(Des Moines, IA) — State health officials say Iowa’s overall vaccination rate is inching up, but parts of the state are lagging behind. Seventy-one percent of Iowans over the age of 11 have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Ken Sharp of the Iowa Department of Public Health says the vaccination rate is lower among middle-aged white men and 20 to 30 year olds in general. Sharp says about seven thousand Iowa kids ages five to 11 got their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday. Pfizer’s pediatric dose of the vaccine was approved last week, making more than 280-thousand children eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Officials say Iowa received 99-thousand pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine in its first shipment, and 24-thousand more have been ordered.