IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A small group of health care workers were the first people in Iowa to get the coronavirus vaccine, kicking off a months-long campaign to deliver shots to state residents. The arrival of the vaccine marked a milestone in the fight against a virus that has killed one in roughly every 964 residents in Iowa, infected hundreds of thousands more, filled up hospitals and closed many public school buildings.

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics said on Monday morning it received 1,000 doses of the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The hospital soon started vaccinating employees, saying it anticipated more than 50 would receive the first of two doses of the vaccine on Monday.