(Des Moines) Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds today addressed the increase in virus activity across the state and the nation due to the more contagious Delta variant. Reynolds said the Delta variant now accounts for 99-percent of new cases in the state.
Reynolds said the virus continues to spread among the unvaccinated. Among those currently hospitalized, 79 percent were not vaccinated when they were infected and 90 percent of COVID patients currently admitted to an ICU are unvaccinated.
According to the CDC, Iowans with at least one dose, 12 and older, is at 66.4%; 65 and older is at 91%.
With the start of the new school year, Reynolds provided a snapshot about what the data is telling them about students. She said, as is common every single year when school starts, students are exposed to a number of viruses and may become ill and this year will be no different.
Reynolds said the virus is here to stay and we have to find a way to live with it in a responsible, balanced and sustainable way; that includes keeping kids home when they’re sick, parents talking to their doctors about all vaccines, get tested as soon as symptoms appear, stay home while you are waiting for your results and if you test positive follow the isolation instructions.
In other news, Iowa Department of Public Health Director Kelly Garcia said they are reformatting the coronavirus.iowa.gov website, including making hospitalization data more prominent, along with the associated vaccination status for those hospitalized. These key metrics will be put on the landing page so it is easier to see. She said these updated dashboards will be pushed out Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
