(Des Moines, IA) -- The Centers for Disease Control says the discrepancy in numbers between its reports and Iowa state data is due to several data-related problems. In a response to questions from WMT Radio News, the CDC tells us slow data, technical difficulties, and the data review process is slowing down its reports.
(see full text of CDC reply and explanation below)
In a press conference last week, Governor Kim Reynolds says the low CDC ranking for Iowa's vaccination rate doesn't match Iowa's own data.
"They're just not making sense for what they're showing on the website." Reynolds said. "So we're going to ask for another clarification and we're going to ask them to take another look at it."
"47th is not where we should be on a per-capita basis." Reynolds said of the data reported by the Centers for Disease Control.
The Governor does admit Iowa's vaccination rate is not what she'd like it to be.
"We're averaging about 60% in getting the vaccines administered." Reynolds said.
"That's not where we need to be. We want to do better. We know we can do better."
Text of response from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for confirming that. People receiving one or more dose is the same as people receiving one dose. It’s important to note that the information presented in CDC’s Data Tracker may not match the number of doses reported by jurisdictions. This could be due to several factors including:
the timing of the data delivery,
technical difficulties related to processing or transmission of the data, and
the careful review and reconciliation process needed to incorporate data from multiple sources to ensure accurate counts.
For example, there may be missing or invalid data, or duplication of data, in which case CDC will work closely with the states to quickly resolve any discrepancies. In addition, health departments have different procedures for reporting data, so there is variation among states in reporting frequency.
Thanks,
Kristen
Kristen Nordlund
CDC Public Affairs