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White House COVID-19 vaccine coordinator says state has 'a lot more' Iowans to vaccinate

Dr. Bechara Choucair says a multi-faceted approach is needed to overcome vaccine hesitancy.

DES MOINES, Iowa — As schools reopen across the country without a vaccine yet available for children under 12, White House vaccinations coordinator Dr. Bechara Choucair said that means Iowa has work to do.

Iowa sits in the middle when it comes to vaccination rates, ranking 25th out of 52 U.S. states and territories, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Almost 70% of Iowans have gotten at least one shot of the vaccine, which Choucair said is good news, but the state needs to get as many people vaccinated as possible.

"We can and we should be able to open schools safely," Choucair said. "But that requires indoor masking universally, whether you're vaccinated or unvaccinated, and it requires that we make sure everybody who's eligible 12 and up is getting vaccinated."

As far as when younger students might be able to get vaccinated, he said it could be late fall or early winter.

"We heard from Pfizer that they will likely have their data come out of their trial by sometime in September, Moderna will likely be coming out a few weeks later," Choucair said.

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Both companies will then submit applications to the FDA for approval. 

As far as convincing those who are eligible—but hesitant—to get the vaccine there's no one-size-fits-all approach.

"For some of them incentives work, so we'd want to make sure there are incentives in place," Choucair said.

For others, he said it's about having one-on-one conversations with their doctors or waiting until their employer tells them to get vaccinated.

Iowa's Hispanic and Latino population lags behind with only 31% fully vaccinated. Choucair said improving that number is about getting people's questions answered by those they trust.

"It really all boils down to making sure that we're engaging the community-based organizations, the faith-based communities," Choucair said.

Choucair also said the country has seen an uptick in vaccination rates in the Hispanic and Latino population over the past few months.

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