Nearly 70% of new COVID cases in Cerro Gordo County are people age 18-49

MASON CITY — Almost 70% of the new COVID-19 cases in Cerro Gordo County are people between the ages of 18-49. According to seven-day test positivity data from the Iowa Department of Public Health, 36% of the new cases are in the 18-29 year old age group, 17% are in the 30-39 age group and 16% are in the 40-49 age group.

Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health director Brian Hanft says that reflects the current national trend.  “It’s the younger people who are showing up as positive, and I think that mirrors the number of COVID vaccines that we’ve given out to the older population, so that’s not surprising. I would give a shout out to those people who are in those age groups, 50 and under. If you haven’t received your vaccine, I still want to strongly encourage you to consider that.”

Hanft says if you have concerns about getting the vaccine, talk to your physician or call the county health department for more information.  “Tens of millions of doses of this vaccine have been administered, and although Johnson & Johnson had a mild hiccup and we’ve kind of worked through that, we definitely recognize that this vaccine is a safe and very effective solution for minimizing and virtually reducing the illness.”

Cerro Gordo County’s 14-day positivity rate is at 4.4%, higher than the state rate at 3.4%. The seven-day rate for the county is at 3.7% with 26 positive tests, higher than the state average of 3.0%.