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COVID-19

2 cases confirmed in school district

After two straight weeks of no new cases of COVID-19 in the Marshalltown Community School District, two were confirmed on Friday, and both are among students. The district started weekly COVID-19 case reports on Sept. 18, in which seven cases were confirmed. Since the pandemic began, the highest number of weekly cases reported by the district has been 34, which was in November. A report on the number of COVID-19 cases within the district is shared weekly on Fridays. Each report shares the total number of new, confirmed cases among students and staff members throughout the district ...

Iowa officials say 77 prisoners got virus vaccine overdoses

FORT MADISON — Administration of the coronavirus vaccine has been halted at a Fort Madison prison after nursing staff there incorrectly gave 77 inmates overdoses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the Iowa Department of Corrections said. The incident happened Tuesday, the Des Moines Register reported. Department spokesman Cord Overton told the newspaper in an email that once the error was realized, staff immediately sought guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from Pfizer. The inmates were notified of the overdose and are being closely monitored by ...

Iowa sees increase in virus hospitalizations

DES MOINES — Iowa public health officials reported a rise in coronavirus-related hospitalizations Thursday with a 36 percent increase in patients admitted in the last 24 hours and a slight increase in patients remaining in hospitals fighting the virus. Iowa Department of Public Health Data shows 235 people remain hospitalized Thursday, up from 219 the day before. Admissions in the last 24 hours surged to 52, an increase from 38 in the previous 24-hour period. The numbers are significantly lower than in early November when Iowa reached a peak of virus infections and was admitting more ...

Gov. Reynolds pushes COVID-19 vaccine as demand lags in areas

JOHNSTON — Gov. Kim Reynolds implored Iowans on Wednesday to get vaccinated for COVID-19, however she refused to acknowledge that slowing demand for the shots is greatest in Republican parts of the state or that there’s a political aspect to the trend. After 43 of Iowa’s 99 counties ...

More counties decline vaccine

DES MOINES — Nearly half of Iowa’s counties have rejected new doses of COVID-19 vaccine because of a lack of demand, state officials said Tuesday amid a public information campaign meant to drum up interest in immunization. Forty-three of Iowa’s 99 counties declined additional shipments of the vaccines, the state reported. Of the 43 counties, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified 12 as having a high rates of coronavirus transmission: Clay, Clayton, Dickinson, Emmet, Fremont, Ida, Lyon, O’Brien, Palo Alto, Sac, Taylor and Woodbury. Voter registration ...

Top regulator warns of COVID-19 hazards inside Iowa Capitol

DES MOINES — A top workplace safety regulator warned the Republican leaders of the Iowa Legislature that conditions inside the state Capitol are hazardous and may be exposing workers to the coronavirus, according to documents released Monday. Russell Perry, administrator of the Iowa ...