Coronavirus

The city of Cedar Rapids is again requiring staff and visitors to wear masks or face coverings inside city buildings to curb the spread of COVID-19 as Iowa sees another uptick in cases.

Due to a larger-than-expected freshmen class headed to the University of Iowa next month – meaning strong demand for on-campus housing for the fall semester – UI has announced several measures aimed at mitigating crowding in its residence halls.

The closure comes as Linn County is seeing high transmission rates of the virus again

After four weeks of stable case counts, the number of new COVID-19 cases jumped 30 percent in Iowa in the past week compared to the week before. Statewide hospitalizations also increased, according to new state and federal coronavirus data released Wednesday.

New COVID-19 cases in Iowa continued their slow decline, falling to 3,980 new cases in the past seven days. As of this week, the state has tallied 800,176 total coronavirus infections since March 2020.

The COVID-19 vaccination effort was underway for Iowa’s youngest children this past week after federal health officials approved coronavirus shots for those aged 6 months to 5 years.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa’s hospitals has declined over the past few weeks, falling to a total of 162 patients this week, according to the latest state data.

The number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations declined across Iowa in the past week, even as community transmission levels remain high, according to federal officials.

A year and a half after the first coronavirus vaccinations were given to U.S. health care workers, COVID-19 shots became available for children in Iowa aged 6 months to 5 years.

A University of Iowa Health Care researcher is among 21 nationally to receive an American Lung Association award worth hundreds of thousands for “COVID-19 and respiratory virus research” – his looking specifically at “long-haul” COVID.

Officials in 1,468 local governments — including 68 in Iowa --- effectively said "no," turning away a potential total of $73 million, according to an Associated Press analysis.

Number of new cases decreased in past week.

An Iowa nursing home worker who admitted stealing a resident’s painkillers says the stress of watching more than a dozen COVID-19 patients die alone contributed to her use of cocaine and other drugs.

New weekly COVID-19 cases counts increased again as of Wednesday. Iowans and non-Iowans are still getting their COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots, but the vaccination rate still lingers below 70 percent, new state data shows.

Statewide, the number of patients in Iowa hospitals with COVID-19 reached 180 as of Wednesday, up from 139 patients last week. It’s the highest total seen since early March, but still far below the omicron variant surge in January.