The number of Iowans hospitalized with COVID-19 is ticking up, though the raw numbers are close to what they were at the start of pandemic last year. That uptick in hospitalizations comes as public health officials warn that the more transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading in Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register.
The Iowa Department of Public Health said that 85 people were hospitalized in Iowa with the disease today, after briefly falling to 50 two weeks before that.
Starting today Iowa health officials are changing how often they’ll report COVID-19 data.Nebraska made the switch last week.
Officials say they will now update the state’s coronavirus website once a week on Wednesdays. Previously, it was updated several times daily. 
A teenager injured in an accident on an Iowa amusement ride that killed his younger brother remains on life support as he marks his 16th birthday. David Jaramillo has been in a medically induced coma at Blank Children’s Hospital since Saturday’s accident on the Raging River ride at Adventureland Park in Altoona.
Smithfield Foods is now offering its company scholarships to the two largest universities in South Dakota.
The Smithfield Foods Scholarship Program for qualified children and dependents of Smithfield employees will now be available for those students going to either the University of South Dakota or to South Dakota State University.
The scholarship started in 2002 and has expanded over the years, doling out millions to 1,200 students.
