DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowans are heading into the winter holidays with few restrictions on gathering or social activities despite significant numbers of recent COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations in the state.
The state Health Department on Monday reported 600 new confirmed cases of the disease caused by the coronavirus but no new deaths from it, though fewer tests were conducted in the past few days and there was a delay in the reporting of deaths. The state reported 138 deaths on Sunday after listing none in the prior two days. Public health officials revised the state’s method of calculating deaths earlier this month and said the new system would likely delay the reporting of COVID-19 deaths by up to a week.
The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Iowa has risen slightly, from nearly 44 per day in the two weeks that ended Dec. 5 to nearly 46 per day during the two weeks that ended Dec. 19, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University.
Iowa has had 3,589 deaths from the virus. On Monday, 644 people were hospitalized and 142 were in intensive care units. The number of long-term care facilities with outbreaks remained persistently high at 142.
Gov. Kim Reynolds last week lifted hours of operation restrictions on bars and restaurants and eased the limits on crowd gatherings and attendance at sporting events. She is encouraging Iowans to celebrate the upcoming holidays in small groups to avoid a virus resurgence.
Dr. Megan Srinivas, an infectious disease doctor who lives in Iowa and is a faculty member at the University of North Carolina, said viral activity in Iowa seems lower because testing has fallen off significantly. She said deaths and hospitalizations are a better sign that virus activity remains too high in the state.
Srinivas also said that because many Iowa children were attending school online until recently, virus activity slowed. But with nearly all districts returning to in-person learning, that and holiday gatherings will likely help the virus spread, she said.
Srinivas also said the idea that the vaccine is just around the corner may lead many to relax their guard. But most people won’t be able to get vaccinated until well into next year, she said.
She also said people don’t understand that the vaccine generally prevents someone from getting very sick from the virus. Vaccinated individuals can still get the virus and spread it to others, so wearing masks and distancing will still be important for quite a while.
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