Iowa Ranks 6th In Nation In Recent COVID-19 Deaths

Des Moines IA

24 December, 2020

11:48 AM

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the Iowa Capital Dispatch By Perry Beeman December 23, 2020 Iowa has the sixth-highest COVID-19 death rate in the country, the New York Times reported. In addition, the drop in new cases in Iowa has slowed. Iowa recorded 64 coronavirus deaths and 1,558 new cases Tuesday, the Times reported. The Times reported that Iowa had seen a 23% drop in new cases in the two weeks ending Monday. The decrease stood at 9% on Tuesday, based on 14 days of data. The state has averaged 1,720 new COVID-19 cases a day over the past week. The 64 added deaths left the state with a 1% decline in the death rate over the past two weeks, the Times reported. Iowa's current death rate is higher than all but five other states, on a per capita basis, the Times reported. South Dakota tops the list, followed by Kansas, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Iowa had 1,558 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the Times reported. According to the Times, database, the counties with the largest infection rates currently included Buena Vista, Lucas, Monroe, Emmet, and Cherokee, on a per capita basis. The Iowa Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported Iowa has had 271,291 cases of COVID-19 and 3,668 deaths from the respiratory illness since the pandemic hit the area early this year. Iowa's numbers first spiked in April and May. The state reported 131 outbreaks at nursing homes as of Wednesday. The homes have recorded 5,343 cases of COVID-19, and 1,137 deaths from the illness. Gov. Kim Reynolds has reported vaccinations have begun around the state. At her Tuesday news conference, she said Iowa ranked 39th in COVID cases per capita. On Wednesday, the Times' database listed Iowa 29th among the states based on the last week's worth of cases per capita. That is a big improvement from earlier in the year, when the Dakotas and Iowa occupied the top three spots for weeks. South Dakota now ranks 20th in new COVID-19 cases per capita, and North Dakota 43rd, according to the Times' database. The newspaper counts both confirmed and probable cases. The Iowa health department reported that coronavirus-related hospitalizations continue to fall. On Wednesday, 644 patients were hospitalized with the illness, down from 651 on Tuesday. The number in intensive care stood at 139, down one from the day before. There was an uptick in the number of patients admitted in the past 24 hours, 113 through midday Wednesday compared with 71 the previous day. The Iowa Capital Dispatch is a hard-hitting, independent news organization dedicated to connecting Iowans to their state government and its impact on their lives.