The latest data from the Iowa Department of Public Health shows 61% of the patients in Iowa hospitals were admitted for treatment of Covid. All Iowa hospital patients are screened for Covid and about a thousand patients have tested positive for the virus. Governor Kim Reynolds says a New York … [Read more...]
Percentage of Iowa hospital patients being treated for Covid climbs
Nearly a thousand patients in Iowa hospitals today have tested positive for Covid. Every patient is tested for Covid and infection rates have been rising as the more contagious omicron variant sweeps through the Midwest. The latest data from the Iowa Department of Public Health shows treatment … [Read more...]
Representative Hinson tests positive for COVID a second time
Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion has tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time. In a written statement, Hinson said she began experiencing "mild, cold-like symptoms" Thursday afternoon, so she took a COVID test and it was positive. She's isolating and working remotely. Hinson is … [Read more...]
About 80% of soldiers in Iowa Army and Iowa Air National Guard fully vaccinated
Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Benjamin Corell says the soldiers in his ranks are "a wealth of talent" for the state not seen since World War II, but during the annual "Condition of the Guard" address this morning at the Capitol, Corell said the Guard is going to lose some soldiers due to the … [Read more...]
IDPH says be strategic with COVID testing
The state Health Department reports COVID-19 hospitalizations and test positivity rates continue to surge. The report today shows hospitalizations increased to 923 -- the most since December 2020. The 14-day test positivity rate has spiked to 21.2%, with more than 31,000 new infections confirmed … [Read more...]
COVID death toll in Iowa surpasses 8,000
The Iowa Department of Public Health's website shows the agency has now confirmed more than 8,000 Iowans have died of COVID. The state's first COVID death was reported on March 20, 2020. The Iowa Department of Public Health indicates 161 death certificates reviewed in the past week show COVID as … [Read more...]
Bill to be introduced in Iowa House would ban employer vaccine mandates
A group of Republicans from the Iowa House are proposing legislation that would bar Iowa businesses from hiring or firing anyone based on their vaccination status. The bill would prohibit businesses from asking if an employee has been vaccinated and it would be illegal for businesses to keep … [Read more...]
Governor says wait on new Iowa Covid-19 vaccination policy until court rules
Republican legislative leaders and Governor Kim Reynolds says the state should wait for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on federal Covid-19 vaccination mandates before considering state action on the issue. The governor, though, predicts the Supreme Court will rule quickly on whether businesses with … [Read more...]
UnityPoint says it is overwhelmed with COVID cases
The state's largest health care system is urging Iowans to get vaccinated. UnityPoint Health released a video message on Twitter. "We're exhausted. We're frustrated," the statement begins. "We're still at war with COVID." One hospital staffer featured in the video describes seeing 11 patients … [Read more...]
65% of aggravated assaults on Iowa City campus at UIHC
Nearly two-thirds of the aggravated assaults reported on the University of Iowa campus in 2020 happened at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. "Of the 49 aggravated assaults that were reported in 2020, 32 of them occurred at the UIHC," says Mark Bullock, co-director of the university's' … [Read more...]