Are we nearing Iowa's omicron peak?

Des Moines Register
·2 min read

Good afternoon and happy Wednesday. Welcome to another edition of the Coronavirus Watch newsletter.

New cases and hospitalizations dip, but death reports are up

The spread of COVID-19 in Iowa slowed slightly over the previous week, according to data released Wednesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health. That's an indication the wave fueled by the omicron variant may be starting to decline, although it's too early to know for sure whether it's reached its peak.

The state reported an additional 34,949 cases over the past seven days, or 4,993 per day, bringing Iowa's total for the pandemic to just under 700,000. That's down from last week, but still higher than any other previous week in the pandemic.

  • Confirmed cases: 699,859, an increase of 34,949

  • Deaths: 8,501, an increase of 184

  • Statewide 14-day positivity rate: 25.2%

  • Hospitalizations: 929, down from 991 one week ago

Treatments in the spotlight

There has been a lot of discussion lately around the availability and types of treatments available.

► The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday revoked its authorizations for two monoclonal antibody treatments made by Regeneron and Eli Lilly. These treatments have not shown to be effective against the omicron variant.

► An Iowa-licensed physician who has questioned the use of vaccines and face masks in fighting COVID-19 says that each day she treats up to 40 patients from around the country and is staging “jailbreaks” that involve pulling patients out of hospitals against the medical advice of other doctors.

► Iowans on ventilators could receive experimental medical treatments — including off-label uses for drugs like ivermectin — under a proposal Republicans advanced Tuesday.

Until next time, stay safe and watch Charlie the cat meet his nosy elk neighbor.

— Brian Smith, audience strategist, bsmith@dmreg.com

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Are we nearing the omicron peak?