COVID-19 cases, vaccinations both see slight uptick

New COVID-19 cases saw a slight uptick in Iowa this week, but hospitalizations continued to drop and vaccine rates continued its sluggish upward pace, according to coronavirus data released by the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Iowa inches closer to 2 million fully vaccinated statewide as more than 4,346 additional residents and non-residents completed their vaccine series in the past week. In total, 1,897,018 are fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, the data shows.

Among the entire state population, 61.1 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Of Iowans aged five and older, 65.2 percent are fully vaccinated.

In Linn County, 66 percent of the entire county population is fully vaccinated, as are 70.4 percent of residents aged five and older.

In Johnson County, 71.8 percent of the county’s population is fully vaccinated, and 76.2 percent of those aged five and older are, too.

Another 6,722 fully vaccinated individuals received a COVID-19 booster shot in the past week, bringing the number of boosted individuals to 994,696.

New cases

The state reported 6,722 new COVID-19 cases, an increase from the 4,417 cases reported last week. In total, 754,511 people in Iowa have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since it first arrived in the state in March 2020.

New infections of the novel coronavirus have dropped steadily over the past several weeks after peaking on Jan. 19, when Iowa reported 38,574 new cases for the week.

Linn County reported 238 new cases this week, compared to the 331 reported last week.

Johnson County added 162 new cases from the past week, a continued decline from the 241 reported the previous week.

Counties across the state continued to have a high level of virus transmission over the seven-day period ending Feb. 28, according to a community transmission map from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only four counties have a lower “substantial” rate of spread — Cherokee, Fremont, O’Brien and Pocahontas.

However, another CDC map on COVID-19 levels in communities show both Linn and Johnson counties at a “medium” level. Under new federal guidelines, residents in communities at medium level or lower do not need to wear a mask indoors or in public spaces.

Deaths

Iowa confirmed 86 new deaths as a result of COVID-19, bringing the statewide death toll since the virus arrived two years ago to 9,171.

This week’s total is a decline from the 137 virus fatalities confirmed by the state last week.

Linn County reported five deaths in the past week, bringing the total death toll to 560. One death was confirmed in Johnson County this week, setting that county’s death toll at 139.

Hospitalizations

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 dropped from 345 last week to 202 this week — the lowest since 201 hospitalizations were reported Aug. 4.

The number patients in intensive care totaled 31 in the past week, a drop from the 38 reported last week and a major decline from the 74 reported the week before.

New coronavirus website

Last week, the Iowa Newspaper Association and a collaboration of Iowa newspapers launched a new website that serves as a central source of Iowa COVID-19 data.

The new site — iowacoviddata.com — complies data from the Iowa Department of Public Health and U.S. Health and Human Services on COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations at the state and county levels.

The launch coincides with the state decommissioned its coronavirus data website, coronavirus.iowa.gov, and the expiration of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ COVID-19 disaster declaration.

Comments: (319) 398-8469; michaela.ramm@thegazette.com

John McGlothlen of The Gazette contributed to this report.