In a press conference, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the federal government will increase vaccine allocations by 16 percent. 

Iowa would receive an additional 6,300 doses verbally guaranteed for next week. Reynolds said Iowa is making progress in hospitalizations, long-term care facility outbreaks and positive case rates. 

“I believe we can attribute our progress to one thing and that is Iowans,” Reynolds said. “For months now, especially since November, we experienced the very worse of our pandemic in the state. Iowans realized the seriousness of the situation and the importance of being the solution to overcome it and sustain it.”

The increased amount is guaranteed for the next three weeks. Reynolds said vaccines will remain limited for quite some time because the demand exceeds supply.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected to receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine only requires a single dose as opposed to double, Reynolds said this will simplify and speed up the vaccination process nationwide.

More than 200,000 vaccines have been administered in Iowa. Reynolds said like a test, while vaccines are limited, as time goes on they will become more accessible. The first dose of the vaccine has been administered in nearly every long-term care facility in Iowa, according to Reynolds.

The first phase of vaccination for residents and staff of long-term care facilities will conclude by the week. The second phase has already begun in some facilities, providing booster doses to anyone already vaccinated and first doses for anyone who wasn’t in the first round. 

The second phase is expected to end in late February, the third and final phase will ensure everyone vaccinated for the first time in the second phase receive the second dose. Reynolds also announced there will be an additional dashboard on coronavirus.iowa.gov to display vaccination progress.

The website will now display the number of first and second doses administered, the number of doses by the manufacturer and the number of doses by day. Iowans can also use the page to find a vaccine provider near them through an interactive map that displaces providers by county.

Amid recent allegations of Reynolds’ office giving preference to companies tied to campaign donors when deploying COVID-19 testing, Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand said his office would review the deployment to promote transparency.

Public recorded emails indicated Reynolds’ office approved the deployment of a COVID-19 strike team to a metal-working manufacturer also owned by one of Reynolds’ major campaign donors. 

Reynolds said there is a criterion set before the deployment and the decision was necessary to keep the food supply moving and keep companies open.

“There is criteria, you qualify, to my knowledge nobody was told no and so if you called and wanted to try and facilitate a way to get your employees tested… We were doing everything we could to help facilitate that,” Reynolds said. “I will make no apologies for doing that, none.”