Hunter
11/03/20
Iowa’s seven-day average rate of positive coronavirus tests is now third in the nation behind South Dakota and Wyoming, and hospital officials say action must be taken to curtail the pandemic.
The Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed 1516 new cases for the 24-hour period ending Tuesday morning after reporting 1469 new cases for Monday morning. The positivity rate for the day Tuesday was 41.3%
Saturday and Sunday had over 2800 cases reported each day. A total of 1755 Iowans have died from COVID-related symptoms, with 22 new deaths reported Tuesday. The cumulative positivity rate since the pandemic hit Iowa is now 13.48%. Over 133,000 total cases have been confirmed since then.
Health care professionals say increased hospitalizations typically follow higher positive case rates, an indication that Iowa hospitals could soon be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
Suresh Gunasekaran, the CEO of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, is urging families to forego their traditional holiday gatherings to stem the surge. During a Zoom meeting Monday, he said that above everything else, the year 2020 will be remembered for taking away the ability for families to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas together. Failing that, Gunasekaran says the UIHC and hospitals across the state might be forced to postpone routine and preventative appointments and surgeries, much like those steps taken in the spring.
Visitors might also be prevented again, leaving patients in a state of anxiety as they face unfamiliar surroundings alone.
State government still maintains everything is under control. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that in a statement from Governor Kim Reynolds’ office, a spokesman asserted that the percentage of COVID 19 patients in Iowa hospitals is still low, and new therapeutics have helped to reduce the severity of illness and shorten hospital stays for many patients.