A sign in Iowa City, Iowa, offers suggestions to stay healthy during the pandemic. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

Deaths in Iowa from COVID-19 have topped 8,000, as of Jan. 5, 2022.

The state reported 161 new coronavirus deaths since its last report one week ago, bringing the total to 8,019. The deaths occurred between Oct. 13 and Dec. 30, 2021.

Hospitalizations also are rising after the holidays, with 792 Iowans hospitalized as of Jan. 5, up from 768 just two days ago, and 711 one week ago. In the past 24 hours alone, 157 Iowans have been admitted to a hospital.

The Omicron variant, which health officials describe as highly contagious, was first detected in Iowa less than one month ago.

Related: Omicron variant confirmed in Iowa

As of Jan. 5, 161 Iowans with COVID-19 were hospitalized in intensive care units, with the majority of those — 82 percent — unvaccinated. Overall, 75.9 percent of those hospitalized in Iowa for COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

Iowa lags behind the rest of the nation in vaccinations, with 70.4 percent of adults fully vaccinated, compared to 73 percent of adults nationwide.

The state’s positivity rate is also on the rise, with 19,045 positive tests in just the past week, and 14.9 percent positive tests in the past two weeks, bringing the state’s total number of positive tests to 641,727.

Nationwide, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reported 57,190,371 COVID-19 cases as of Jan. 5, with 827,879 deaths.