Iowa’s 7-day average for COVID cases drops for 14th straight day

Iowa’s seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases dropped for the 14th consecutive day Wednesday, reaching 154 — the lowest since April 18, 2020, Iowa Department of Public Health data shows.

That downward trend continues as the state has administered at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to more than 1.5 million people, according to data released at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. That number includes 1.3 million people, including non-Iowans, who are fully vaccinated.

New cases

Iowa added 162 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total number of individuals in the state who have tested positive for the virus to 371,001, according to IDPH data.

Linn County added 12 new COVID-19 cases as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 21,024. The county’s seven-day average was 11.

Johnson County reported six new cases for a county total of 14,550 and a seven-day average of five.

Twenty-eight of the new cases reported in Iowa on Wednesday were among children up to age 17 bringing the total in that age group to 44,446.

One new cases was reported among education workers, bringing that total to 7,742.

Confirmed deaths

The state reported five new confirmed COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, bringing Iowa’s death toll to 6,044.

Of those deaths, one was aged 18 to 40, three were between the ages of 61 and 80, and one was 81 or older. The deaths took place between March 27 and May 21, health department data shows.

Polk County reported two deaths. One death each was reported in Des Moines, Guthrie and Pottawattamie counties.

Vaccinations

Across the state, 1,284,012 Iowans — or 40.7 percent of the state’s population — had completed the COVID-19 vaccine as of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The number of people who have been fully vaccinated within the state, non-Iowans included, was 1,335,254.

The state reported 1,226,638 individuals have completed the Moderna or Pfizer two-shot regimen while 108,616 people have received the single-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

The number of total doses administered in the state as of Monday afternoon was 2,730,992.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 103,217 people in Linn County had been fully vaccinated. That’s 45.53 percent of the county’s total population.

In Johnson County, 77,689 people — or 51.4 percent of the county’s population — have been fully vaccinated.

Hospitalizations

Across the state, 120 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 during the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Wednesday, down two from Tuesday.

The number of intensive-care patients went from 33 to 32, and the number of patients on ventilators went from 16 to 17.

Long-term care facilities

The state added a third long-term care facility to its COVID-19 outbreak list Wednesday, with 22 individuals sick with the virus.

Heritage Care & Rehabilitation Center in Cerro Gordo County reported five cases Wednesday, while Risen Son Christian Village in Pottawattamie County and Clarion Wellness & Rehabilitation Center in Wright County reported 11 and six cases, respectively.

An outbreak is considered three or more cases among a facility’s residents and staff.

To date, 2,364 people in these facilities have died as the result of COVID-19, accounting for roughly 39 percent of the state’s death toll.

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