Number Of New COVID-19 Cases Fall In Iowa But Death Rate Still Rising

Des Moines IA

22 December, 2020

12:56 PM

Description

the Iowa Capital Dispatch By Perry Beeman December 21, 2020 Iowa's number of new cases of COVID-19 continues to fall, while the number of deaths has risen in the past two weeks, the New York Times reported. Iowa recorded 370 new cases and 56 deaths on Sunday, according to the Times database, which includes both confirmed and probable cases and deaths. The number of new cases has fallen 31% in the past two weeks, the Times reported. The number of coronavirus-related deaths has risen 19% in the same period. Iowa has averaged 1,583 new cases a day over the past 14 days, the newspaper reported. So far, 268,078 people have been confirmed to have had COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported. Through Monday morning, 3,589 people had died of the virus in Iowa. At times, Iowa has had in the range of 100 deaths in a day, according to the Times' database. The 56 deaths a day the state now is averaging still is historically high for this pandemic. In May, when the pandemic spread throughout Iowa, the number of daily deaths routinely stayed under 20, according to the state health department, which has tended to report fewer deaths and cases in comparison to other sources. But in the record spike this fall, daily deaths edged near 30 at times in early November before rising to between 50 and 80 later in the month. The state has reported several days with no deaths recently, but has changed its accounting. The Times reported several dozen Iowa COVID deaths on those same days, including Sunday, when the state reported zero but the Times reported 56. The state changed its reporting methods to meet federal regulations, adding 177 deaths to the total for the pandemic. The state at midday Monday reported 141 COVID outbreaks at nursing homes, accounting for 5,740 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,135 deaths from the illness. There were 644 people with COVID-19 in Iowa hospitals, up from 639 on Sunday, the state reported. The 142 in intensive care was down from 149 on Sunday. In the 24 hours through noon Monday, 70 people with the coronavirus had been admitted to Iowa hospitals, down from 93 the previous period. 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.