Coronavirus

With the COVID-19 infection once again surging during the holiday season, we asked medical experts how Iowans can be safe in the coming weeks.

The number of patients hospitalized for the coronavirus in Iowa dropped this week, the first decline following six consecutive weeks of increases, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Despite that, total available ICU beds dipped to another all-time low this past week, reaching just 130 available beds on Tuesday.

Cedar Rapids has been sampling wastewater to determine the spread of COVID in the community, and recent data collection shows concentration of the virus in Cedar Rapids’ sewage is “more pronounced than the number of cases indicated by Linn County Public Health.”

But the number of active COVID-19 outbreaks in Iowa nursing homes is continuing to decline.

After experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths after the Thanksgiving holiday, Iowa goes into Christmas week with continued high widespread virus activity and no significant gains in vaccination.

School mask and quarantine rules in some Eastern Iowa schools are changing with the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine for people 5 years and older.

The number of confirmed cases of the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus has increased to 18 in Iowa, including in Linn and Johnson counties.

With COVID racing toward pandemic status in the spring of 2020, University of Iowa International Programs made the unprecedented decision to bring home its hundreds of study abroad students scattered around the globe — from Australia to Tanzania, Estonia to Iceland.

Mercy Medical Center and UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids have postponed all elective and nonemergent surgeries through Christmas, effective immediately. The decision comes just a day after Iowa broke records for COVID-19 hospitalizations, surpassing more than 800 patients this week.

Iowa reported 823 individuals have been hospitalized as a result of the coronavirus this past week, the highest total seen in 2021. The last time hospitalizations were at or above 800 was more than a year ago.

Protesters opposing mask requirements for students threatened to sue the Cedar Rapids school board if it does not repeal the mandate

The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health posted a statement Friday announcing Pedati would serve as the coastal city’s public health director beginning Dec. 10.

Because of limited remaining funds, only new applicants will be accepted for the Linn County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Households who have already received assistance from this program will no longer be eligible.

On Dec. 14, 2020, an emergency department nurse at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics became the first person in Iowa to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. One year later, nearly 2 million Iowans have been fully vaccinated, but UIHC say there’s still work to be done in order to control the pandemic.

With the 2020-21 flu vaccination rate among children 6 months to 17 years at 59 percent – a 5 percentage point drop from the year prior – Neiman said more can be done for many kids.