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COVID-19

Vaccine passport ban headed to Gov. Reynolds’ desk

Iowa businesses may not ask for proof of vaccination from customers under a bill passed Wednesday by the Iowa Senate. The so-called “vaccine passport” bill was introduced in April, following a request from Gov. Kim Reynolds. It forbids businesses and governmental agencies from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for customers or visitors. Temperature checks or screening for symptoms will still be allowed. Businesses that require proof of vaccination will become ineligible for state grants or contracts. “Here in Iowa, we will protect Iowans from being forced by tyrannical ...

Iowa has logged 37,000 fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims

Iowa has fielded at least 37,000 fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to state officials. That works out to more than 87 fraudulent claims filed each day of the pandemic. Those claims are tied specifically to identity theft, wherein people ...

COVID-19 cases in Iowa continue to fall

As international health officials worry about India’s spike in COVID-19, Iowa continues to see a drop in cases. The tragedy in India, where cases are soaring, was part of a global trend that saw more cases in the past two weeks than occurred in the first six weeks of the pandemic last year. Some states in India are locking down after a huge outbreak that has required 24-hour operation of crematoria, CNN reported. In Iowa, where demand for vaccines has fallen off in places, the number of new COVID-19 cases fell 13 percent over the past two weeks, the New York Times reported. ...

FDA expected to OK Pfizer vaccine for teens within week

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for youngsters ages 12 to 15 by next week, according to a federal official and a person familiar with the process, setting up shots for many before the beginning of the next school year. The announcement is set to come a month after the company found that its shot, which is already authorized for those age 16 and older, also provided protection for the younger group. The federal official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to preview the FDA’s action, said the agency was ...

Iowa turns down 71% of available vaccines

DES MOINES — Iowa is turning down nearly three quarters of the vaccine doses available from the federal government because demand for the shots remains weak. The Department of Public Health and Safety said the state asked the federal government to withhold 71 percent of the 105,300 vaccine doses that were available. This is the second week in a row Iowa asked the federal government to hold back part of its allocation of vaccine doses. Department spokeswoman Sarah Ekstrand said 88 of Iowa’s 99 counties have told the state they don’t need all or part of their weekly vaccine ...

Gov. Reynolds rejects $95M in virus testing money

DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said she rejected $95 million in federal money for coronavirus testing in schools because she didn’t think there was a need for the funding. Reynolds, a Republican, announced her decision on a Thursday night Fox News show and criticized President Joe Biden’s administration for offering the money aimed at expanding testing. “I think he thinks that COVID just started,” Reynolds said on the show, which was televised from a forum with other Republican governors in Florida. “I just returned $95 million because they sent an additional $95 ...