Michaela Ramm

Eastern Iowa public health officials in Eastern Iowa say wearing masks in public, even if you’re fully vaccinated, is a good precaution against the highly contagious Delta variant.

Linn County Public Health and a local collaborative, called Together! Healthy Linn, are conducting a public survey to assess community health needs ahead of the development of their Community Health Improvement Plan next year.

An Eastern Iowa woman raised thousands of dollars during a fundraiser in honor of her mother, who has advanced Alzheimer’s disease.

UnityPoint Health-Cedar Rapids announced construction of a $25 million senior living community in northeast Cedar Rapids called The Cottages at UnityPoint Way. Built in partnership with Cedar Falls-based Western Home Services, the facility will provide care for residents with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss.

Each participant who receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a walk-in clinic happening in Cedar Rapids this week will recieve a $50 Walmart gift card.

Starting this month, thousands of Iowa families began receiving advanced payments as part of the expanded child tax credit program. For some families, these monthly checks can be a big step toward financial stability.

Local blood centers still are seeing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on donations. Because summer typically is a challenging period for blood collection, centers say high demand could result in another critical shortage.

Forty Iowans, including some Cedar Rapidians, are receiving the rabies vaccine regimen after a wild bat was spotted during an overnight campout at the zoo in Omaha.

A new study out of the University of Iowa has found that use of remdesivir, used to treat COVID-19, had no impact on patient’s survival rates. However, the lead researcher says data shows patients who received remdesivir were more likely to stay in the hospital for a longer period of time than those who did not receive the antiviral drug.

The number of abortions performed in Iowa rose 14 percent in 2020. For the second year, the trend on abortions reversed from previous years’ decline on the number of procedures performed in the state.

New state public health data shows about 64,000 Iowans have skipped, delayed or otherwise missed receiving the second dose of the two-shot vaccine series as of this month.

Doctors in Iowa and across the United States are reporting a surge in respiratory virus infections in the spring and summer months — an uncommon time of year for these common viruses to be circulating.

The insurance company HealthPartners UnityPoint Health announced this week it will sell health insurance plans to businesses and organizations with fewer than 50 employees for coverage starting 2022. Rates will be announced in October.

Starting Friday, Iowans can obtain at-home COVID-19 testing kits at no cost. Participants will collect their own saliva and mail samples directly to the State Hygienic Lab for results.

Delta, the highly transmissible variant of the novel coronavirus, has become the dominant strain both in Iowa and across the nation. Public health experts say Iowans should assume the variant is circulating throughout their community.