Iowa reported 27,398 new cases of coronavirus and 15 new confirmed deaths on Friday, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.
The drastic increase in test results Friday is due to changes in how public health officials monitor the tests and calculate the state’s positivity rate, the Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed in an email to The Gazette.
Starting this week, the Department of Public Health monitored the COVID-19 test by looking broadly at the spread of viruses during the 14-day incubation period and began calculating the Iowa positivity rate by the number of positive tests over a period of two weeks to share with the total. number of tests, both negative and positive, in the same period.
This is the same method used by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to calculate percentage positivity.
Previously, the 14-day positivity rates of Iowa were calculated by taking individuals who tested for the virus and dividing the number by the total number of people who received a COVID-19 test.
The change is likely to result in a lower positivity rate for Iowa, Kelly Garcia, interim director of public health, said Wednesday.
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa’s positive rate of 14 days was 4.5 percent. The CDC’s 14-day positivity rate for Iowa was not immediately available, but the CDC reported that Iowa’s seven-day positive rate was 7.6 percent.
NEW CASES
According to data analyzed by The Gazette, the new numbers are 358,467 cases and 5,336 deaths since March.
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The 27,398 new cases, which were reported between 11:00 Thursday and 11:00 Friday, come from 2,402,660 test results.
According to the new calculation, Linn County reported 1,219 new cases on Friday, bringing the total number of cases to 20,400 since March. The province’s seven – day average of new cases is 197.
Johnson County reported 748 new cases, for a total of 13,634 since March. Johnson’s seven-day average new cases is 122.
DEATHS
Of the 15 new confirmed deaths reported Friday, seven were among individuals older than 80 and eight adults between the ages of 61 and 80.
The deaths occurred between January 16 and February 16.
Black Hawk County reported four deaths, and Polk County two.
Countries that each reported one death were Butler, Clinton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Howard, Lucas, Pocahontas, Scott and Story.
Hospitalizations
The number of Iowans hospitalized with the virus has dropped from 252 to 241 in the 24-hour period ending Friday at 11 p.m.
The number of patients in intensive care increased from 59 to 60, and the number of patients in ventilators increased from 24 to 26.
Long-term care
According to public health data, 24 of Friday’s 11 a.m. broke out in Iowa’s long-term care facility COVID-19.
Within these facilities, 679 individuals tested positive for the virus.
Since the onset of the pandemic, 2,129 individuals within facilities have died from the virus.
Vaccinations
As of Friday, Iowa administered 553,428 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 531,970 doses to Iowa residents.
Across the country, 278,658 individuals had the first shot of the two-shot series, and 137,385 people completed both shots.
In Linn County, 37,894 doses were administered, and 9,784 people – 5.61 percent of the country’s adult population – completed both shots.
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In Johnson County, 38,158 doses were administered, with 11,842 people – 9.78 percent of the population – completing both shots.
Who can get vaccine?
Health care workers, residents and staff at long-term care facilities, and Iowans 65 and older, can now receive vaccinations.
Iowans under 65 may qualify for a vaccine if they meet the criteria in the groups below. The levels of phase 1B are arranged in order of vaccination priority:
• Level 1: first reaction such as firefighters, police officers and social workers for child welfare; school staff and early child education and child care workers.
• Level 2: food, agricultural, distribution and manufacturing workers who work or live in a municipal environment that does not make social distance possible; people with disabilities living in the home and their caregivers.
• Level 3: Staff and residents in community living environments that include shelters, behavioral health treatment centers, sober residences, and detention centers (but not university accommodation); government officials and staff who worked at the Iowa Capitol during the legislative session.
• Level 4: Inspectors responsible for hospitals, long-term care and child safety
• Level 5: Staff of correctional facilities and prisoner in state and local facilities.
People who do not meet the criteria must wait. The state will announce when other ages and occupational categories qualify.
Remarks: (319) 398-8238; [email protected]
Stephen Colbert and John McGlothlen of The Gazette contributed.
