Articles Tagged: Iowa Department of Public Health

The number of long-term care facilities reporting an outbreak of COVID-19 among staff and residents continued its surge this week, reaching 109 total as of Wednesday. At the same time, new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and positivity rates continue to decline.

The number of people hospitalized due to the coronavirus and the number of confirmed infections have dropped in Iowa, but hundreds of people in the state remain seriously ill with the virus, according to state data released Monday.

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand released a new audit Monday stating that his office did not identify any significant concerns“ about the integrity of COVID-19 data collection and reporting from the state public health department.

As of Wednesday, 86 long-term care facilities in Iowa were reporting a COVID-19 outbreak -- five times the number reporting outbreaks six weeks ago. At the same time, hospitalizations and new cases are declining statewide.

The state public health department estimates that deaths in Iowa due to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, rose from 31 percent of all overdoses in 2016 to 87 percent in 2021.

Iowa reported 38,574 new COVID-19 cases in the past seven days, the highest weekly total ever seen in the pandemic. Public health officials also reported more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients this week as the omicron variant continues its rapid spread throughout the state.

For the second week in a row, Johnson County reported a record in new COVID-19 infections with 2,308 cases this past week. State public health data released Wednesday shows case counts statewide continue to surge as hospitalizations reach totals not seen since December 2020.

The merged department should be able to help people seamlessly receive the maximum services in the most efficient way to give families the tools to be independent, she tells legislators.

Johnson and Linn counties are seeing their highest weekly totals for COVID-19 cases in 13 months as positivity rates continue to trend up, according to data released Wednesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health.

The number of patients hospitalized for the coronavirus in Iowa dropped this week, the first decline following six consecutive weeks of increases, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Despite that, total available ICU beds dipped to another all-time low this past week, reaching just 130 available beds on Tuesday.

Iowa reported 823 individuals have been hospitalized as a result of the coronavirus this past week, the highest total seen in 2021. The last time hospitalizations were at or above 800 was more than a year ago.

Using federal dollars, the state has contracted 100 traveling nurses and respiratory therapists to assist 17 hospitals across Iowa as health care providers grapple with the highest number of COVID-19 patient admissions seen in a year.

The latest variant of COVID-19, omicron, has been detected in an Iowa resident for the first time, state public health officials confirmed Thursday. The Black Hawk County resident is under 18 and is asymptomatic.

In the past 24 hours alone, 133 COVID-19 patients were admitted to Iowa hospitals, the highest since Dec. 8, 2020. Seven-day COVID-19 admissions, as well as the number of patients in the ICU and on ventilators, have also reached numbers not seen since last year.

The number of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 this week are at the highest level seen in nearly a year. leaping to 721 from 623 last week. Patient counts statewide leaped for the fourth week in a row, according to the state public health department.