Demand for COVID-19 vaccines continues to lag in Iowa, especially in rural areas, and vaccination rates in southern and northwestern Iowa trail those in more urban areas. In some counties, fewer than one in three residents are fully vaccinated. Shelley Bickel (BICK-ul), administrator of the Wayne County Public Health Department, says some residents turn down the vaccine even after family members have died of COVID.

Bickel says her county has largely finished vaccinating the residents who are willing. She says lack of trust, misinformation and conservative politics have dissuaded many others from getting the shot.