304 031221
The state health department reports nearly 5 thousand additional deaths in 2020 compared to previous years' numbers. This number could be another indicator of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on Iowa.
According to preliminary data, Iowa had more than 35 thousand deaths reported in 2020. That's higher than the past four years when that number hovered around 30 thousand deaths per year.
The state has confirmed more than 56 hundred Iowans have died from COVID-19 so far. The CDC says excess death information can be one factor in measuring the mortality rate related directly or indirectly to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the Iowa Department of Public Health was reporting 11 additional COVID-19 deaths and a further 489 confirmed cases. Iowa has a statewide 14-day positivity rate of 3.9%
In Woodbury County, there have been 24 new cases added to the total case count in the last 24 hours.
The Siouxland Community Health Center will be invited to join the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program in the next six weeks. This program directly allocates vaccines to supported health centers to ensure underserved communities and those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 are equitably vaccinated.
The invitation was extended by the members of the Iowa House delegation. They sent a letter to the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lawmakers urged them to prioritize Iowa's federally qualified health centers in the next round of their program. Today, an additional 700 health centers were invited to participate in the program's next phase, including those that provide services to rural populations.
