Today, Governor Reynolds signed new legislation that will allow an adopted adult whose original birth certificate was substituted with a new certificate after an adoption, to apply for and obtain a non-certified copy of the original certificate of birth, which will include biological parent information. The new
law will also allow an entitled person to apply for the adult adoptee’s original certificate prior to adoption if the adoptee is deceased.

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.

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.

The state of Iowa will reach a milestone this week, with over 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine being distributed statewide. In addition to the Moderna and Pfizer allocations, Iowa will receive 25,600 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was approved for Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA and CDC on February 28.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) spoke with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday, January 15, regarding expected increases in vaccine allocation. We continue to be in close communication with our federal partners and we will provide updates as we learn more.