COVID-19 cases in Iowa increase for the first time in more than a month

A four-week trend of declining COVID-19 cases in Iowa ended this week when the state reported a slight uptick in infections — from 1,495 last week to 1,517 this week. It is the first time since Jan. 3 that the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has reported increased coronavirus activity.

It is likely the actual number of new cases is higher. The results of at-home tests, which are readily available to the public, are not reported to public health agencies in Iowa. The state also does not include COVID-19 reinfections of the same person in its weekly reports.

In Linn County, the state reported 125 new cases, a decrease from 136 reported a week ago. In total, 64,261 Linn County residents have tested positive for the disease since the beginning of the pandemic.

In Johnson County, the state reported 102 new cases, an increase from 81 reported a week ago. In total, 44,641 Johnson County residents have tested positive for the disease since March 2020.

To date, 897,136 Iowans have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic nearly three years ago.

Deaths

The state confirmed 28 deaths from COVID-19 over the last week, a decrease from 31 deaths the week before. That includes three deaths in Johnson County and one in Linn County.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Linn County has reported 660 deaths from COVID-19, and Johnson County has reported 180.

A total of 10,625 Iowans have died of the disease since March 2020.

Hospitalizations

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa decreased over the last week — the fifth consecutive week the state has recorded a decline in hospitalizations. This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported 122 hospitalizations, compared with 135 last week. The number of patients in intensive care remained steady at 15 for the third week in a row.