Iowa’s COVID-19 seven-day rolling average its highest ever

Iowa's COVID-19 positivity rate continues to increase.

In the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Monday, 18.82 percent of 2,274 tests came back positive, according to data analyzed by The Gazette.

The state's seven-day rolling average of 567 is its highest ever since the start of the pandemic in March.

On Monday, Iowa saw 428 new cases, bringing the state total to 56,585. Five new deaths were attributed to the virus, bringing Iowa's toll to 1,040.

Wapello County had two new deaths, while Black Hawk, Jasper and Scott counties saw one new death each.

Johnson County added 86 new positive COVID-19 cases, its second-highest increase in a day. On Sunday, the county had its highest at 91.

The high numbers come as University of Iowa students began classes Monday. The county now has a total of 2,566 positive virus cases.

On Monday morning, the UI reported its own COVID-19 case count with 107 students and four employees with the virus. The numbers reflect those who have self-reported positive tests since Aug. 18. The university can't make individuals report because of health privacy laws, UI officials told The Gazette.

Linn County had 16 new cases, bringing its total to 2,749. Its seven-day average is 27 cases.

According to data from the Washington Post, Iowa's cases per capita have been increasing even though the nation's overall average of all states has been decreasing. But Iowa's per capita rate still is slightly less than the national average.

In the past week, while national daily-reported cases fell 15.8 percent and national daily-reported deaths fell 8.4 percent, new-daily-reported cases in Iowa rose 9.7 percent and new daily-reported deaths rose 28.6 percent.

Hospitalizations in Iowa fell 2.8 percent, according to the Post's data, while hospitalizations rose nationally by 75.8 percent.

In the last 24 hours, Iowa hospitalizations were up from 260 to 275 with the number of intensive care patients increasing from 82 to 86. The number of patients on ventilators remained at 39.

Linn County hospitalizations are at 25 as of Sunday.

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