Who is eligible for vaccinations in Phase 1B?
Persons aged 65 years and over are eligible for COVID vaccinations throughout Phase 1B. Additionally, five prioritized/tiered populations vulnerable to high risk of exposure or severity of illness are also included in Phase 1B.
Remember, persons aged 65 and over are eligible now and throughout Phase 1B and will be contacted by their healthcare provider when they can schedule a vaccination appointment. Some pharmacies are also receiving very limited supplies of vaccine and are accepting appointments. IDPH lists vaccine providers at https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/pages/vaccineinformation#VaccineProviders
If you know someone who his eligible but is not comfortable scheduling an appointment online, please consider reaching out to them and offering assistance.
Residents in Tier 1 are also eligible at this time and should receive vaccination information from their employer. When Tier 1 vaccinations are completed, Tier 2 will become eligible. As each tier is completed, the next tier will be eligible. Information for those tiers will be shared when available.
Tier 1
- First Responders
- PK-12 staff, early childhood education, childcare workers
Tier 2
- Frontline essential workers in food, agriculture, distribution, and manufacturing sectors who live or work in non-social distanced settings
- Individuals with disabilities living in home settings and their direct care staff
Tier 3
- Staff and individuals living in congregate settings not covered by previous Phase or Tier
- Government officials engaged in business at the State Capitol
Tier 4
- Inspectors responsible for health, life and safety
Tier 5
- Correctional facility staff and individuals incarcerated
Because the supply of COVID-19 vaccine is limited at this time, the CDC provided recommendations to federal, state, and local governments about who should be vaccinated first. The CDC’s recommendations are based on those from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an independent panel of medical and public health experts.
The recommendations were made with these goals in mind:
- Decrease death and serious disease as much as possible.
- Preserve functioning of society.
- Reduce the extra burden COVID-19 is having on people already facing disparities.
For information, visit
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations.html