Iowa’s COVID-19 infection rate increases slightly

The number of new COVID-19 infections documented by the state increased this past week after a precipitous decline the week prior.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 2,256 new infections among those who were not previously infected. That’s a 5% increase from a week ago.

The state also reported 3,009 total positive tests — a 7% increase. That number includes people who have been infected by the coronavirus multiple times, which the state does not report to federal health officials in its new case counts. The state also doesn’t track the results of at-home, rapid tests.

The state’s documented infection rate decreased by more than a third in its report last week.

On Wednesday the state also reported 40 new deaths among people who were infected by the virus for a total of 10,463 since the start of the pandemic. It’s unclear when the newly reported deaths occurred.

There were 248 infected people receiving inpatient treatment at Iowa hospitals on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That is a slight increase from a week ago. Of those, 17 were under intensive care.

About three-quarters of Iowa’s counties have a low risk from the virus, according to a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of infection and hospitalization data. Those with a medium risk are mostly in the east-central and southwestern parts of Iowa.

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