Articles Tagged: Iowa Department of Public Health

More legislation is needed as the state combines the former human services, public health and aging departments

Iowa has fared remarkably well compared with all but one neighboring state, even when adjusting for population.

Iowa does not include subsequent COVID-19 infections of the same person in the number of newly confirmed cases it reports to federal health officials or in the weekly case updates on its website, even though other states do.

Kelly Garcia heads the newly formed Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, which combines the Department of Human Services and Department of Public Health

Due to Iowa’s limited allocation of the monkeypox vaccine, state public health officials say vaccine administration is prioritized for close contacts of an individual with a known monkeypox infection. As of Wednesday, the State Hygienic Lab has tested 18 people for monkeypox statewide.

New COVID-19 case counts has risen for the second week in a row in Iowa, a week after the state saw a dramatic spike in seven-day infections. Hospitalizations are also on the rise, prompting local health care officials to urge residents to wear masks and practice other mitigation strategies.

Johnson County Public Health has confirmed the first case of monkeypox in the county, marking the fifth confirmed case in Iowa, according to state public health officials. Officials say they are working with state public health officials to determine the circumstances of this individual’s infection.

A Missouri resident has been infected by a microscopic organism that causes a rare, life-threatening brain infection after swimming at Lake of Three Fires State Park in southwest Iowa.

The patient, who was not identified, was likely infected during international travel and is now in isolation and receiving outpatient care, the health department said Friday.

New weekly COVID-19 cases counts increased again as of Wednesday. Iowans and non-Iowans are still getting their COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots, but the vaccination rate still lingers below 70 percent, new state data shows.

Statewide, the number of patients in Iowa hospitals with COVID-19 reached 180 as of Wednesday, up from 139 patients last week. It’s the highest total seen since early March, but still far below the omicron variant surge in January.

The state public health department has reported new COVID-19 case counts have increased again, reaching 3,847 new infections in the past seven days. Hospitalizations also continued to increase this week.

Linn County Public Health is now offering treatment for those with hepatitis C, a liver disease that is growing in prevalence across the state. Officials are seeing a higher prevalence among those who use injection drugs, who often face barriers to care.

The state reported 3,172 new coronavirus cases in the past seven days, which is roughly triple the number of new cases reported on April 20. Six weeks ago, Iowa reported 478 new cases.

The Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed four deaths statewide as a result of the coronavirus, the lowest number seen since the early days of the pandemic. However, new infections and related hospitalizations continue to rise across Iowa.