West DSM News

Omicron became the predominant COVID-19 strain in Iowa earlier this month, accounting for almost 80% of the state’s case surge following the holiday season. 

"Infections of COVID-19 are on the rise due to the highly contagious omicron variant," the Iowa Department of Health tweeted Jan. 3. "All eligible Iowans should get vaccinated and a booster to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19."

The highly-contagious variant slammed Polk County and other heavily-populated counties last week, but the Des Moines Register reported that hospitalizations have seen a slight decrease, dropping from over 1,000 to 929 as of Wednesday, Jan. 26. Record positive week-by-week case highs continue to plague the state, with nearly 5,000 new positive cases reported per day this week, according to the Register.

Iowa Department of Public Health interim Director Kelly Garcia urged Iowans to catch up on their COVID-19 vaccine booster doses in a December release that reported the state’s first known case of omicron.

“There is emerging evidence that a booster dose of vaccine offers protection against omicron, which is great news. Vaccinated Iowans who have not yet received a booster should do so as soon as possible,” Garcia said. “I want to emphasize how grateful I am to Iowans who have chosen to get vaccinated, thank you. To those who haven’t been vaccinated for COVID-19 yet, I urge you to speak with your health care provider about the vaccine’s benefits for you and those around you.”

Over three-quarters of Iowans over 12 years old have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the health department's pandemic dashboard reported, and 68.5% of intensive care unit COVID-19 patients in Iowa are not fully vaccinated. 

As of Thursday, Jan. 27, the Hawkeye State has seen 31,301 positive test reports in the previous seven days for a positivity rate of 25.2%, as well as 184 deaths.