The University of Iowa said the COVID-19 vaccine “shortage continues” in a campus-wide update on Friday. This university will offer vaccination to employees and students who fall in phase 1b for vaccination. 

Eligibility for the second group of the COVID-19 vaccination, phase 1b, will begin on Feb. 1. The email said that “vaccine supplies remain extremely limited” for the second phase of vaccination. 

On Friday, the Iowa Department of Public Health issued a supplemental vaccine shortage order. The order stated that health care facilities administering the COVID-19 vaccine should only give vaccines to those eligible in phase 1a and 1b.

The order will remain in effect until the shortage ends, which could take up to several weeks or  months, the UI said in the campus-wide email. 

Students and faculty who are completing a field experience in a Pre-K-12 classroom in the UI College of Education and first responders in the UI Department of Public Safety will eventually be able to schedule an appointment to be vaccinated in phase 1b, the email said. 

“The university will vaccinate faculty and staff who, based on their employment duties at the UI, are identified as a priority population under IDPH guidelines,” the university wrote in an email. “Students in priority groups also may receive a vaccination through the university.”

UI Health Care will offer COVID-19 vaccines to the public for phase 1b on Monday, but the UI will not host employee vaccination clinics on the main campus, the email said. 

The UI also reported 19 student and employee COVID-19 cases since Jan. 27. 

Since the beginning of the fall semester, 3,331 students and employees have self-reported COVID-19 cases to the UI.