Cerro Gordo County health officials keeping eye on COVID hospitalization numbers (VIDEO)

MASON CITY — The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health director says with hospitalizations at a pandemic-high statewide and in our region, they are keeping close track of the data.

Brain Hanft says the number of cases is still manageable despite being at a peak.  “They are still much lower than what we originally projected numbers might achieve early on in the pandemic. As it creeps up, it certainly is something we keep an eye on, just like the numbers that we watch for the rolling 14-day average with the schools as well.”

Hanft says the changing seasons means they’ll be keeping a close eye on the coronavirus and influenza numbers as well.  “Seasonality is something we are also worried about as we come into flu season. How the flu season kind of overlays with COVID is going to be one of the additional challenges.”

Hanft reminds people that if they don’t feel well, stay home, and if you feel like you need to get tested for COVID, do so.   “We just continue to stress the importance for people to stay home if you aren’t feeling well, I mean even the slightest of sniffles. Testing is much more available now. We’re hearing all kinds of cases where people have really very mild symptoms, a runny nose, as simple as that, and feeling a little tired, and those people get tested and they are positive. I just stress to seek testing if you can if you have any kind of symptoms at all.”

As of 11 o’clock Thursday morning, the number of hospitalized COVID patients in Iowa was at 482, nine higher when compared to Wednesday. 107 of those patients are in the ICU.

In the most recent county-level data, our 10-county listening area has 30 people hospitalized — eight in Cerro Gordo, six in Winnebago, five in Floyd, four each in Kossuth and Wright, and single hospitalizations in Butler, Floyd and Hancock counties.