Coronavirus

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa public health officials have stopped requiring hospitals to report the home county of patients being treated for COVID-19, even as all 99 counties have a high rate of spread and hospitalizations are at their highest level since early October.

Public health officials have shown little desire to once again take disruptive measures, instead pushing Americans to voluntarily change their behavior without punitive threats.

A federal judge on Monday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on thousands of health care workers in 10 states — including Iowa — that had brought the first legal challenge against the requirement.

The Netherlands confirmed 13 cases of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus on Sunday and Australia found two as the countries half a world apart became the latest to detect it in travelers arriving from southern Africa.

The discovery of a new coronavirus variant sent a chill through much of the world Friday as the U.S. and other nations raced to halt air travel, markets fell sharply and scientists held emergency meetings to weigh the exact risks, which were largely unknown.

Scientists are worried about this new variant of COVID-19. The World Health Organization on Nov. 26 designated it as a “variant of concern,” naming it “omicron.”

A new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa is leading to a new round of travel

It was burdensome and unnecessary for hospitals to report the county of residence for Iowans receiving in-patient treatment for COVID-19, the state says.

The federal government’s plan for distributing the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines roughly a year ago mostly hit the mark, according to a recent analysis.

New COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations have increased again this week as Iowans prepare to gathering with family and loved ones for Thanksgiving celebrations this week.

A 41-year-old Colorado woman accused of forging COVID-positive documents from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to get out of a Colorado court hearing now is facing formal charges out of Boulder County related to the Iowa-related allegations.

He sees you when you’re sleeping and he knows when you’re awake. But he will also need to know how many you plan to have at your gathering and whether they’ll be wearing masks.

The $1.6 million project is being paid for from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund

Kim Reynolds signaled a return to normalcy Tuesday by pardoning two turkeys while cautioning Iowans to remain vigilant against COVID-19 when they gather for Thanksgiving celebrations.

Iowa’s already strained health care system could be in for a rough winter after officials with the University of Iowa Health Care say flu cases have rapidly increased in the past two weeks, raising the possibility that the state could face “twindemic” spikes of flu and COVID-19.