Iowa reports 1,359 new COVID-19 cases, 62 deaths

Iowa on Wednesday reported 1,359 new COVID-19 cases and 62 confirmed deaths.

The new numbers come as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office in Washington, D.C., and one day after the U.S. death toll topped 400,000.

The new cases - reported by the Iowa Department of Public Health between 11 a.m. Tuesday and 11 a.m. Wednesday - bring the state's total number of virus cases to 307,595 and the state's death toll to 4,394 since last March.

Iowa's seven-day average of new cases is 1,097.

Iowa on Wednesday reported 4,215 COVID-19 tests were completed in the 24-hour period, for a one-day positivity rate of 32.2 percent.

Fourteen of Iowa's 99 counties report 14-day positivity rates above 15 percent - a significant decrease from last week, according to a Gazette analysis.

Linn County reported 57 new cases Wednesday, The county's seven-day average is 48. To date, 17,799 virus cases have been reported in the county, and 278 people have died.

Johnson County added 41 new cases. The county's seven-day average is 44. Since March, Johnson County has reported 12,126 cases and 51 deaths.

Statewide, the new cases included 178 new cases among youths 17 and younger. No new cases were reported among education workers. To date, 32,890 young people and 7,688 education workers have tested positive for the virus.

Hospitalizations

Iowa saw a decline in number of hospitalizations, dipping from 490 Tuesday to 474 Wednesday, according to state public health data. The number of patients being treated in intensive care inched up from 85 to 86. The number of patients on ventilators remained at 36.

Vaccines

A total 35,990,150 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed throughout the United States, with about half of them - 16,525,281 - administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The data, which was last updated at 6 a.m. Wednesday, shows 14,270,441 people have received one doses, and 2,161,419 have completed the two-dose regimen.

In Iowa, 291,075 doses have been distributed, according to the CDC, and 156,296 doses have been administered, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

State data shows 122,588 individuals have received the first dose of the vaccine series, and 16,854 have received both doses.

In Linn County, 12,125 doses have been administered, and 11,894 Linn County residents have been vaccinated.

In Johnson County, 20,040 doses have been given and 13,370 Johnson County residents have been vaccinated.

Deaths

The 62 deaths reported in Iowa on Wednesday came in 35 counties and included 35 individuals age 81 or older; 23 individuals between the ages of 61 and 80; and four people between the ages of 41 and 60.

Polk County reported eight deaths, and Benton County reported six.

The counties that reported three deaths each were Cerro Gordo, Dubuque, Linn and Scott.

The counties that reported two deaths each were Appanoose, Black Hawk, Clinton, Crawford, Johnson, Ringgold and Woodbury.

The counties that reported one death each were Cass, Dallas, Dickinson, Fayette, Hamilton, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Lucas, Mahaska, Marshall, Mitchell, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, Palo Alto, Pottawattamie, Shelby, Story, Tama, Van Buren and Webster.

Long-term care

Seventy-two long-term care facilities in Iowa reported outbreaks Wednesday, down one from the previous 24-hour period.

According to the data, 1,886 individuals in long-term care facilities are positive for the virus - an increase of 61 from the previous 24-hour period. Since March, 1,806 individuals have died.

In Johnson County, cases at Lantern Park Specialty Care rose slightly, from 32 to 33 cases, while the number of recoveries shifted from 27 to 26.

In Buchanan County, ABCM Rehabilitation Centers of Independence was removed from the state's outbreak list.

Comments: (319) 398-8238; kat.russell@thegazette.com

John McGlothlen of The Gazette contributed.