The number of Iowans who have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations has plummeted in recent months, after the threat of the disease reached a pandemic low and federal officials ended a public health emergency declaration.
Finding a Vaccine
COVID-19 vaccines are free for people with health insurance or through the CDC’s Bridge Access Program, which has agreements with health care providers and pharmacies. The CDC offers an online search to find vaccine providers, or people can call (800) 232. -0233 for help.
But now, the rate of the disease in the state is “very high,” according to a recent report from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
As of last week, about 10. 4% of Iowans were thought to be immune to COVID-19, according to HHS data. This figure is calculated from the state’s database of immunization records.
More than 60% of Iowans were vaccinated during the worst throes of the coronavirus pandemic, but those initial vaccinations have become less effective over time. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends updated vaccines that boost immunization and are meant to target currently circulating strains.
The CDC issued an alert this week to warn them about low vaccination rates against COVID, flu and RSV, a leading cause of hospitalizations among infants.
“Low vaccination rates, coupled with a continued increase in respiratory disease activity domestically and internationally. . . can lead to more severe illness and increased pressure on physical care capacity in the coming weeks,” the CDC warned.
There were 345 new hospital admissions of people with COVID-19 in Iowa last week, according to CDC data. That is higher than any weekly total in December last year and the highest since August 2022.
The highest number of weekly new admissions in Iowa came in November 2020, when there were more than 1500, before COVID vaccines were widely available.
The CDC urged health care providers to vaccinate their patients and to recommend antiviral medications to those with flu or COVID. It provided a “vaccination conversation guide” to help allay patient concerns.
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And he questions these recommended vaccination estimates that paint a more optimistic picture in Iowa: The CDC estimates that about 28% of adults in the state are vaccinated against COVID. Taking into account the CDC’s separate estimate of the number of young people vaccinated, Iowa’s overall vaccination rate is about 22%.
The CDC’s figures are based on phone surveys that imply about 17% of the nation’s adults have received an updated COVID vaccine since mid-September.
Its estimate in Iowa is not in line with vaccination reports from the beginning of the pandemic, in which the CDC relied on data from those who administered the vaccines. This data indicated that Iowa’s vaccination rates were particularly lower than other states such as California, Oregon and New York. The new estimate puts Iowa ahead of those states.
HHS said the CDC’s estimate is not comparable to state knowledge because its sampling strategies differ and the state’s figure is based on much more information. However, the branch noted that it does not get updates from federal agencies, adding the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration, regarding vaccinations for Iowans.
The CDC attributes the overall low vaccination to a lack of proactive recommendations from health care providers, considerations about side effects, and forgetting to get vaccinated.
HHS did not respond to questions about whether it considers Iowa’s vaccination rate low and whether it has a vaccination percentage goal.
The state’s most populous county said this week that vaccination against respiratory illnesses would be a priority for citizens ahead of the Christmas holiday, given low vaccination rates and emerging hospitalizations.
“With the higher hospitalization rates we’re seeing with respiratory viruses, we’re urging the network to get up-to-date vaccines,” Polk County Public Health Director Helen Eddy said. “Getting the updated vaccines will not only protect you, but it will also protect the health of our network and prevent you from hospital overload. »
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by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch December 19, 2023
The number of Iowans who have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations has plummeted in recent months, after the threat of the disease reached a pandemic low and federal officials ended a public health emergency declaration.
Find a vaccine
COVID-19 vaccines are free for people with health insurance or through the CDC’s Bridge Access Program, which has agreements with health care providers and pharmacies. The CDC offers an online search to find vaccine providers, or people can call (800) 232. -0233 for help.
But now, the rate of the disease in the state is “very high,” according to a recent report from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
As of last week, about 10. 4% of Iowans were thought to be immune to COVID-19, according to HHS data. This figure is calculated from the state’s database of immunization records.
More than 60% of Iowans were vaccinated during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, but initial vaccines have become less effective over time. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)The U. S. Food and Drug Administration recommends updated vaccines that speed up vaccination and are intended to target strains. lately circulating.
The CDC issued an alert this week to warn them about low vaccination rates against COVID, flu and RSV, a leading cause of hospitalizations among infants.
“Low vaccination rates, coupled with ongoing increases in national and international respiratory disease activity … could lead to more severe disease and increased health care capacity strain in the coming weeks,” the CDC warned.
There were 345 new hospital admissions of other people with COVID-19 in Iowa last week, according to CDC data. That’s more than any week overall since December of last year and since August 2022.
The highest number of weekly new admissions in Iowa came in November 2020, when there were more than 1500, before COVID vaccines were widely available.
The CDC has suggested that physical care providers vaccinate their patients and propose antiviral drugs for others with the flu or COVID. It provided a “verbal exchange guide on vaccination” to ease patients’ concerns.
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And it’s issuing that advice using vaccination estimates that paint a rosier picture in Iowa: The CDC estimates that about 28% of the state’s adults are vaccinated for COVID. Taking into account the CDC’s separate estimate for how many children are vaccinated, Iowa’s overall vaccination rate is about 22%.
The CDC’s figures are based on phone surveys that imply about 17% of the nation’s adults have received an updated COVID vaccine since mid-September.
Their estimate in Iowa is not in line with vaccination reports since the beginning of the pandemic, in which the CDC relied on data from those who administered the vaccines. This data indicated that Iowa’s vaccination rates were particularly lower than those of other states such as California, Oregon, and New York. The new estimate puts Iowa ahead of those states.
HHS said the CDC’s estimate is not comparable to state knowledge because its sampling strategies differ and the state’s figure is based on much more information. However, the branch noted that it does not get updates from federal agencies, adding the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration, regarding vaccinations for Iowans.
The CDC attributes the overall low vaccine uptake to a lack of proactive recommendations by health care providers, concerns about side effects and simply forgetting to get vaccinated.
HHS did not respond to questions about whether it considers Iowa’s vaccination rate low and whether it has a vaccination percentage target.
The state’s most-populous county said this week that vaccination against respiratory diseases should be a priority for residents ahead of the Christmas holiday, given the low vaccination rates and increasing hospital admissions.
“With the increased hospitalization rates we’re seeing with respiratory viruses, we’re urging the network to get vaccinated up-to-date,” said Helen Eddy, Polk County public health director. “Getting the up-to-date vaccines will not only protect you, but it also protects our network fitness and prevents your hospitals from being overwhelmed. “
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Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of grant-backed news bureaus and a coalition of donors as a 501c public charity(3). Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains its editorial independence. If you have any questions, please contact Editor Kathie Obradovich: info@iowacapitaldispatch. com. Follow the Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.
Senior reporter Jared Strong has written about Iowans and the vital issues affecting them for more than 15 years, in the past for the Carroll Times Herald and the Des Moines Register.
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