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COVID vaccine supply in Iowa limited; supply remains short in Mills County

According to the state website, just 800 people have gotten their first shot and more than 1,400 have gotten their second.
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GLENWOOD, Ia. (KMTV) — Julie Lynes with Mills County Public Health understands how hard it is for seniors to wait for their vaccines. Hope is coming in the form of injections, but there's an added layer of frustration because there's a short supply of vaccinations.

"We're getting 200 vaccines a week...we could accept 2,000 vaccines a week. I mean, we could vaccinate our entire community in a matter of a couple short weeks, we just, we don't have the vaccine to do it," Lynes said.

The Iowa Department of Public Health is hopeful that everyone who wants the vaccine can get it by May. From Lynes' perspective, that is a lofty goal.

"We are in the first of March and we are only getting 200 a week. So it needs to amp up if we're going to meet that goal," Lynes said.

Lynes anticipated the demand would outweigh the supply but the rollout has surprised her.

"We really anticipated that week by week, the numbers would go up and availability would go up and we'd really be able to ramp up over time and we're just waiting for that...that's where we're bottlenecked right now," Lynes said.

An increase in vaccines is something all Iowans are waiting for, with bated breath.

"It feels like it's the day after Groundhogs Day. Finally, we're getting beyond it, looking forward to the future," senior Jane Susgin said.