CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – On Friday, Iowa Department of Public Health officials clarified how prioritizing who gets the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 single-dose vaccine is being prioritized. This comes after our i9 research unit detailed the complaints of local public health officials urging the state to give these doses to vulnerable populations. This includes homeless people, in prison or immigrants.
Linn County’s email to the state mentioned equity for wanting to have more control over who gets this Johnson and Johnson vaccine. County health leaders say the 1-dose vaccine is best used for people less likely to get a second appointment. They could be non-English speaking people, living in transitional housing, interns or homeless people.
While the state allocates thousands of doses to counties for this purpose, 700 doses go to Linn County, it also gives thousands more to universities and manufacturing companies. Linn County Public Health argues that it is much easier to arrange second doses for these groups.
The county specifically noted the 3,200 doses of Johnson and Johnson administered to Collins Aerospace employees. The county argues that it would be easy to give these employees two doses at their health clinic. Today we contacted the company for more information on why their employees would need the option of a single dose compared to two single doses. They haven’t returned it to us yet.
On Friday, leaders of the Iowa Department of Public Health clarified that their goal was to vaccinate people quickly. He wants to get college students who will go home first, and then move on to staff.
The state says Collins was part of the first wave of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. This focused on food processors and manufacturing facilities that cannot be socially distanced.
At the same time, Willis Dady’s leaders told us that he plans to work with Mercy officials to vaccinate the homeless in a few weeks with these doses of Johnson and Johnson.
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