Today Director Garcia sent the following letter to school superintendents, child care providers and local public health departments regarding updated COVID-19 guidance:

Dear Education and Child Care Professionals,

I write to you today to underscore the continued importance of supporting children as we navigate this recovery phase of our COVID-19 response. From the beginning, this response effort has been grounded in mitigating risk and protecting our vulnerable populations, realizing that completely eliminating risk was never an option. We appreciate the difficult position school administrators and child care providers, who are not necessarily health professionals, have had to navigate. Your efforts over the last year have required patience, grace, and flexibility. For that, we are tremendously grateful.

Following U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) EUA approval on May 10, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) adopted CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that endorsed the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and its use in 12- through 15-year-old adolescents.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed two cases of the COVID-19 variant, SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 in Iowa. This variant is also referred to as the India variant because it was first detected there. We are still learning about the characteristics of this strain.

Following the announcement today that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have lifted the pause on the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) recommends that any vaccine provider in the state who has available Johnson & Johnson vaccine resume administration, effective immediately. 

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed one case of the COVID-19 variant, SARS-CoV-2 P.1  in Iowa. This variant is also referred to as the Brazilian variant. We are still learning about the characteristics of this strain including any potential impact on vaccine effectiveness.