Iowa virus hospitalizations set new record as cases rise

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus in Iowa set another record as the recent surge in cases continued.

The state said 1,279 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa on Saturday, up from 1,261 the day before.

Iowa also reported 4,432 new cases and 13 additional deaths as of Sunday morning to give the state 184,685 cases and 1,985 deaths.

Over the past week in Iowa, one out of every 95 people in the state was diagnosed with COVID-19, and the rate of new cases in the state remained the third-highest in the nation, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Iowa has more than doubled over the past two weeks from 1,605.86 new cases per day on Oct. 31 to 3,785.71 new cases per day on Saturday.

The state said 95 of Iowa’s 99 counties had a 14-day positivity rate above 15% on Sunday. Only one county, Ringgold, reported a rate below 10% at 8.4% on Sunday.