Hunter
12/23/21
Newly released data from the Iowa Department of Public Health shows the number of patients hospitalized by COVID dropping for the first time in six weeks.
747 people are currently hospitalized, down from last week’s 823; intensive care patients dropped from 173 to 158.
88 percent of those in intensive care are not fully vaccinated, and 81 ½ percent of all patients aren’t fully vaccinated. All 8 children in the hospital currently for COVID are unvaxxed.
The positivity rate remained stable at 10.8 percent, and the number of new cases dipped slightly. Nearly 564,000 Iowans have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Locally, Johnson County had 488 new cases, while Linn County had 943. All 99 counties are categorized in the red zone of high community transmission of the virus by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state’s vaccination rate is at 55.52 percent; for those aged 5 and older, it’s just over 59 percent.
Another 119 COVID-related deaths were reported, bringing the state total just shy of 7800.