Iowa starts new year with huge spike in new COVID-19 cases

DES MOINES — State public health data released Monday indicates that Iowa is beginning the new year with a huge surge in new coronavirus cases.

The Iowa Department of Public Health posted 17,773 confirmed positive tests in the past seven days. That rate of about 2,500 new cases a day over the last week is a significant jump from the typical 1,300 to 1,400 daily average reported during December.

The surge pushed Iowa's 14-day positivity rate to 13.5 percent, a rate that signifies a high rate of spread. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to list all of Iowa’s 99 counties in its “red zone” of community transmission rates.

COVID-19 hospitalizations rates in Iowa fell slightly to 768 from 773 that were reported by state public health officials last week. The state reported Monday that 163 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care, a slight drop from 170 reported last week.

But the number of patients seeking medical care continues overwhelmingly to be those who are not fully vaccinated. According to state figures released Monday, 79.9 percent of those being treated for COVID-19 in Iowa hospitals are not fully vaccinated; among those in intensive care units, that leapt to 83.5 percent.

In the Corridor, local hospitals, public health officials and a Linn County supervisor made a plea in an advertisement placed Sunday in The Gazette for people who have not taken the virus seriously to start doing so.

“We need you to GET VACCINATED. Or a booster if eligible. The reality is that almost all of out COVID inpatients are unvaccinated,” the ad implored.

The CDC says 59 percent of Iowa's population is fully vaccinated, although the federal data includes people who do not live in the state but get vaccinated here. State data indicates 14 percent of children age 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated as schools resume classes after a holiday break. The vaccination rate for those 12 to 15 is 43 percent, and for those age 16 to 19 the rate is 47 percent.

The state data on deaths is updated weekly on Wednesdays. Last week, the state reported a total of 7,858 COVID-19 deaths were confirmed in Iowa since the pandemic arrived in March 2020.