A year passes since COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Iowa

IOWA CITY — Tuesday marks one year since the COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Iowa and the first doses were administered to University of Iowa Health Care employees, launching the statewide effort that has gone on to immunize close to 2 million Iowans against the novel coronavirus.

But given the current surge in new infections and the resulting increase in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the effort to protect the population against the virus is far from over.

On Dec. 14, 2020, UIHC received the state’s first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, just days after U.S. health officials authorized the two-dose regiment for use in certain populations. One hundred seventy-eight UI Health Care employees received a shot that first day — including David Conway, an emergency department nurse who was the first person in Iowa to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

That day took months of planning and, when it arrived, it came with “a mix of emotions,” UIHC Chief Pharmacy Officer Michael Brownlee told reporters Monday. He recalled receiving the single box of vaccines at the hospital’s dock, watching as doses were prepared and the tears of joy as they were administered to the first staff members.

“When you ask any of our staff to reflect back on the day, it was one of the most memorable moments of their entire lives and something that they'll never forget,” Brownlee said in the news conference. “I won’t. I'll never forget all of the details of that day.

“It didn't bring the pandemic to its knees immediately, and that's OK," he continued. ”We've saved thousands of lives through the administration of those millions of doses and we're grateful for the opportunity to be on the forefront of that, to be one of the first in the nation to be able to provide doses here UI Health Care.“

Since vaccine availability opened to include most of the general public in the weeks and months following December 2020, experts say more than 200 million Americans and more than 4 billion people worldwide have been safely vaccinated.

“There have been many important milestones during the pandemic, and one that sticks out is the first day of vaccinations,” Suresh Gunasekaran, chief executive officer at UI Hospitals and Clinics, said in a statement. “This was an exciting and joyous day, providing a much-needed spark of hope for our staff during the darkest days of the pandemic.”

While grateful, health care workers still face strain from virus

Though UIHC leaders offered a message of hope for the Dec. 14 anniversary, the date marks a bittersweet moment for some. When shipments first arrived at hospitals across the country, there was a period of relief and celebration among health care workers as they believed they saw the light at the end of the tunnel of a devastating pandemic.

But one year later, they still are grappling with seriously ill patients. New coronavirus infections have surged in Iowa in recent weeks, prompting in hospitalization rates not seen since December 2020.

Once again, Iowa hospitals are running low on intensive care unit beds, prompting some hospitals to delay some elective surgical procedures and take other steps to preserve capacity.

The surge is putting a strain on health care staff, but even then, there’s a feeling of gratitude that there is a vaccine that is effective in protecting many individuals, Brownlee said.

“I think it's a mix of continuing to struggle with a pandemic and staffing levels, and then also some gratitude for having vaccines that are safe and effective,” he said.

Since March 2020, the COVID-19 has resulted in the deaths of 7,550 Iowans. It’s also the cause of nearly 800,000 deaths in the United States and more than 5 million fatalities worldwide.

Though vaccines have been available to adults in Iowa for 365 days, the continued spread of the virus indicates communities in Iowa still don’t have full protection. The shots have not been authorized for children under the age of five years, and the waning immunity of the vaccines has prompted federal officials to expand eligibility for booster shots for all adult Americans.

In addition, acceptance of the vaccine has been slow among some groups, with only 58.38 percent of Iowa’s population aged five and older fully vaccinated as of Monday. According to the state’s latest coronavirus data, 54.76 percent of the entire state population — or 1,727,724 Iowans — is fully vaccinated.

The biggest barrier facing health care leaders’ efforts to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus is the sheer level of misinformation about the shots, Brownlee said.

Experts agree. Misinformation about COVID-19 has been prevalent since March 2020, and studies have shown belief in misinformation is correlated with vaccination status.

According to a November 2021 poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 80 percent of adults have heard at least one piece of misinformation and believe it to be true or are not sure whether it is true or false.

Brownlee said its important providers take a targeted approach to getting shots into more arms, such as hosting vaccine clinics at schools for those aged 5 to 11 years old.

UIHC officials continue to urge everyone aged 16 and older to receive a booster shot, particularly in light of the new omicron coronavirus variant making its way across the country. Early studies have shown the COVID-19 booster shots are effective against the variant.

Providers also encourage those who have not received the shots to be vaccinated as soon as possible.

“Each additional person who gets a vaccine brings us one step closer to the end of the pandemic, and that is a very good reason to be hopeful about the future," Gunasekaran said in a statement.

Officials say its also important individuals continue wearing masks, social distancing and practicing other mitigation strategies.

University of Iowa’s role in COVID-19 vaccine research

The University of Iowa has played a role in addressing the pandemic, including providing the groundwork for a future vaccine through research. Stanley Perlman, a UI professor of microbiology and immunology and pediatrics, shared his 40 years of coronavirus research and expertise in the wake of the COVID-19 spread.

Patricia Winokur, executive dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine and principal investigator for UI's Pfizer clinical trial site, said last year that his work paved the way for rapid vaccine development.

The university became a site for Pfizer vaccine clinical trials in summer 2020, which enrolled 44,000 research subjects by November 2020.

UI researchers continue to participate in COVID-19 vaccine studies, including a new vaccine called Novavax that is currently undergoing studies on its effectiveness against the virus.

The UI trial site planned to enroll 250 participants, officials said.

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