Iowa adds 233 virus cases, seven deaths Thursday

Johnson County surpasses 50 percent of population fully vaccinated

May. 20, 2021 3:46 pm

Certified medical assistant Holly Frank explains a vaccination record card after administering a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on April 21, the first day of a Student Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City. As of May 20, 50 percent of Johnson County’s population has been fully vaccinated. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Iowa added 233 new COVID-19 cases and seven new, confirmed deaths Thursday.

The new numbers bring the state’s totals to 370,154 cases and 6,025 deaths, according to Iowa Department of Public Health data.

The state’s seven-day average for new cases is 197, the first time it has been under 200 since 188 on April 19, 2020. The seven-day average for new deaths is four.

Vaccinations

As of Thursday afternoon, 1,244,931 Iowans have been fully vaccinated. That is 39.46 percent of the state’s population

The total number of people vaccinated within the state, including non-Iowans, is 1,294,768, and 2,658,796 doses have been administered.

In Linn County, 99,201 people, or 43.76 percent of the county population, have completed a vaccination series.

In Johnson County, that number is 75,807, or 50.16 percent of the county’s population.

New cases

Linn County added 17 COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the county’s total to 20,964. Linn’s seven-day average is 17.

Johnson County added seven cases for a total of 14,520. Johnson’s seven-day average is seven.

Of Thursday’s new cases, 54 were of children up to age 17, bringing the total in that category to 44,280.

Confirmed deaths

Of Thursday’s seven new, confirmed deaths, four were people over the age of 80 and three were between 61 and 80.

Six deaths were in May, and one happened in November.

Johnson, Guthrie, Muscatine, Poweshiek and Washington counties reported one death each. Polk County reported two.

Hospitalizations

Across the state, virus hospitalizations went from 145 to 146 in the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Thursday. Intensive-care patients went from 44 to 45, and patients on ventilators went from 22 to 24.

Long-term care facilities

As of Thursday, two of Iowa’s long-term care facilities were experiencing outbreaks, the same as Wednesday. The number of people who have tested positive with the virus remained at 17.

Comments: (319) 398-8255; gage.miskimen@thegazette.com

John McGlothlen of The Gazette contributed to this report.