Virus hospitalizations hit two-month high in Iowa

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Iowa increased to 235 Thursday, up from 219 the day before and the highest that number has been in more than two months.

It was Feb. 20 when COVID-19 hospitalizations were at 238 in Iowa.

The number of patients in intensive care also increased from 54 to 56, and the number of patients on ventilators increased from 20 to 24.

The state on Thursday also reported 497 new virus cases.

The new numbers bring the state’s total cases to 361,811 since March 2020, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Iowa’s seven-day average for new cases was 448.

Of Thursday’s new cases, 110 were in individuals up to age 18, bringing the total number of minors who have been infected with the virus to 42,430.

Linn County added 29 cases in the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Thursday. The new cases bring the county’s total to 20,414. Linn’s seven-day average for new cases is 25.

In Johnson County, 32 new cases were reported, for a total of 14,186 since March 2020. The county’s seven-day average is 31.

As of Thursday afternoon, 894,041 Iowans were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — up more than 18,600 from Wednesday’s total. That’s 28.34 percent of all Iowans and 35.62 percent of adult Iowans (over age 16).

The total number of people vaccinated in the state, which includes non-Iowans, is 930,565.

As of Thursday, 2,141,871 doses of the vaccine have been administered in Iowa, up almost 31,000 from Wednesday’s total. Of those doses, 2,016,510 have gone to Iowans.

In Linn County, 69,035 people are fully vaccinated, up 1,658 from Wednesday. That’s 38.26 percent of the adult population and 30.45 percent of the county’s total population.

The number of vaccine doses administered in the county as of Thursday afternoon was 161,930, up almost 3,000 from Wednesday’s total.

In Johnson County, 54,064 people are fully vaccinated. That’s 43.49 percent of the county’s adult population and 35.77 percent of the total population. To date, 126,852 vaccine doses have been administered, up almost 1,500 from Wednesday’s total.

The five deaths reported Thursday took place between March 14 and April 3 and bring the state’s death toll to 5,904.

Of those deaths, one was of an individual over the age of 81, three were of individuals aged 61 to 80 and one was of an individual aged 18 to 40.

Pottawattamie County reported two of the deaths, with Calhoun, Dubuque and Kossuth counties reporting one death each.

Only one outbreak — three or more cases — was reported in Iowa long-term care facilities on Thursday, with 18 individuals ill.

Since the start of the pandemic, 2,305 people within the facilities have died of the virus. That’s 39 percent of Iowa’s death toll.

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