contributed photo The state’s coronavirus infection rate is higher than it was all of last year.

The coronavirus infection rate in Iowa spiked in the past week to a level unseen since November 2020, which was the worst month of the pandemic for the state, according to preliminary Iowa Department of Public Health data.

There were 17,773 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past week, a 73 percent increase from a week ago.

That’s according to the state’s thrice-weekly summary it posts on its coronavirus-tracking website. A fuller picture of that data — including county-level infection rates — updates once each week on Wednesdays.

It’s unclear whether the omicron variant is driving the increase of infections. Sarah Ekstrand, an IDPH spokesperson, said the department will reveal how many omicron infections have been identified by the State Hygienic Laboratory on Wednesday. She did not say whether the state has identified specific sources of the surge of recorded infections.

The state lab first confirmed the presence of omicron in Iowa in early December. As of last week, the variant had been identified in 12 counties.

The nation’s daily infection rate has tripled in the past two weeks, according to the New York Times. In the past week, the United States has averaged more than 400,000 cases each day, which is 62 percent higher than its previous peak about a year ago.

Iowa averaged more than 2,500 confirmed coronavirus cases each day in the past week, which is about half of the state’s peak infection rate in November 2020.

The number of infected people being treated at Iowa hospitals is also higher than it was a week ago. As of late Sunday, 768 COVID patients were receiving inpatient treatment. That’s an 8 percent increase from Wednesday. The number of patients under intensive care was roughly unchanged at 163.

About 59 percent of Iowa residents are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, fewer than half of all the vaccinated adults have received a booster dose.

Iowa’s statewide COVID cases up 73% in past week