Iowa is planning to have more than 170,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccinations by the end of the month, Gov. Kim Reynolds said.
Reynolds said Thursday that pending approval, Iowa anticipates receiving 26,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine around Dec. 13.
By the end of the month, Iowa plans to have 172,000 doses between vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
Health officials also said Thursday that by mid-2021, the state should have enough vaccines for anyone who wants one to receive one.
Two doses of the vaccine will be needed, and they must be received three weeks apart.
Health care workers and long-term care residents will be the first to get the vaccine.
"The weeks and months ahead look promising, but we can not let our guard down yet," said Brooks Jackson, the Vice President for Medical Affairs for University of Iowa Hospitals.
Jackson said he can envision a scenario where life gets back to normal sometime in 2021.
Reynolds said 30 long-term care facilities will be removed from the state's outbreak list shortly, meaning they have no cases in the past 28 days. She also said positive cases and hospital rates are trending down.
"I think Iowans have stepped up and are doing what they need to do," she said.
Both Moderna and Phizer vaccines have worked at a rate of 95 percent.
