Iowa Capital Dispatch Jared Strong
(Des Moines) The number of new weekly hospital admissions of people infected with COVID-19 in Iowa has been dropping steadily since the start of the year. It is now among the lowest rates of the pandemic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC reported 41 admissions in a recent week, down from a peak of 411 in December, the highest rate in over a year.
A Friday report by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services classified the spread of COVID-19 in Iowa as “very low.” That report also listed no new deaths associated with the disease for the first time this year.
Up to 44 infected people died per week in the latest surge of cases, according to CDC data. The uptick in hospitalizations began in late summer 2023, accelerated in December to its peak, quickly retreated in January, and has since been steadily declining.
A total of about 11,650 people with the disease have died in Iowa during the pandemic, which began in early 2020.
State health officials estimate that about 15% of Iowans have up-to-date immunizations to protect them against COVID-19.
