DAVENPORT, Iowa — Outside the VA outpatient clinic in Davenport, excitement filled the air.
"I didn't know when I was gonna get it," said Tremeir Morrow.
Morrow was one of the excited veterans, walking in for an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
"I didn't care which one it was, the two dose or the one dose," Morrow said.
Morrow served in the United States Marine Corps from 1995 to 2003. He was one of 500 veterans who got their shot on Saturday, a shot he tried to get just two days ago.
He tried to get a vaccine on Thursday when he was at the VA clinic for a different appointment, but staff told him they did not have any extra doses that day. Thursdays are the normal day the clinic distributes vaccines for people with appointments, Morrow said.
"Then the next day, I get a phone call, email, text message saying 'hey we're giving the vaccination on Saturday are you available?' I'm like yes," Morrow said.
Saturday was the first weekend vaccine clinic at the Davenport VA location. It was also the first time they had Johnson and Johnson's shot.
"It's got some advantages, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine," said Bryan Clark, the public affairs officer for the Iowa City VA System. "It's one dose and it's a little easier to store."
The VA system in Iowa City has already expanded vaccine eligibility to all of their veteran patients, Clark said.
"We were seeing a decline in demand at the above 65 level and the qualifying conditions with the vaccine allocations that we have," Clark said. "We have enough that we can give them to a larger group of people."
Over the next few months, the Iowa City VA system plans to expand eligibility even more. That's due, in part, to President Biden signing the SAVE LIVES Act on Wednesday, March 24, 2021.
That law makes a veteran's spouse or caregiver eligible for a vaccine from the VA, according to the bill's text. The law outlines who is eligible, and who is prioritized for vaccines.
Under the SAVE LIVES Act, the law prioritizes giving vaccines to veterans and qualified individuals already enrolled in VA health care.
The law specifically outlines a "covered individual" as someone who is a family caregiver of a veteran, a veteran's spouse or a veteran who is not eligible to enroll in the VA health care system, among others.
For now, the VA in Iowa City, which serves the Quad Cities area, is waiting for guidance on how this law will impact local clinics, Clark said.
But veterans like Morrow are happy they can take a shot towards normalcy.
"I didn't expect to get this vaccination until May, and I got it March 27th, so I'm stoked," Morrow said.
The VA will continue hosting more weekend clinics like these as they get more vaccines.
If you are newly eligible for a vaccine under the new law, and would like to receive one from the Iowa City VA, you can download this form and mail it to the address below, according to Clark.
Iowa City VA health Care System
Eligibility and Enrollment
601 Hwy 6W
Iowa City, IA 62256