Washington, DC — Iowa’s congressional delegation is urging the Biden Administration to restructure the state’s weekly allocation of COVID vaccine. The group says putting more doses of Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine in the mix makes sense.
Representative Ashley Hinson of Marion says pharmacies in rural parts of the state cannot afford the freezers required to store the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
(as said) “Rural and low-income Iowans face unique barriers to receiving the Covid vaccine,” Hinson says. “One of the challenges, of course, is storing the vaccine in cool enough temperatures.”
Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines says the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is fridge-stable and only requires one dose, making it easy to distribute in hard-to-reach areas.
Representative Randy Feenstra of Hull says one-point-one million people live in rural Iowa and the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine is one way to deal with logistical challenges.
Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa says prioritizing the distribution of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to rural areas would reduce the burden on rural health care providers and county health officials. Miller-Meeks is a former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health.
