MARION, Iowa — A bridge that once shouldered cattle cars, passenger trains and more is now taking on lighter loads as part of the CeMar Trail through Marion. Community leaders, Linn County Trails Association members, railroad buffs and others celebrated the reconstruction of the former Milwaukee Railroad bridge over Indian Creek during a ribbon-cutting ceremony […]
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Category: health
Iowa eliminates reporting data as COVID-...
Iowa is no longer reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes and other data, even as cases have been increasing. As of Wednesday, July 7, 2021, the state’s coronavirus dashboard eliminated long-term care facility tracking, as well as Test Iowa assessments, serology, occupation data and underlying conditions. The Iowa Department of Public Health has cited its […]
Iowa ending COVID-19 Test Iowa program
Test Iowa, the COVID-19 testing program the state has used since April 2020, will end operations on July 16, 2021, though some sites will close as soon as next week. The initial $26 million, no-bid contract with a Utah company came about upon actor Ashton Kutcher’s recommendation to Gov. Kim Reynolds. Related: Test Iowa results […]
Iowa hits grim milestone in COVID-19 dea...
Iowa reached a grim COVID-19 milestone on Saturday, May 15, 2021, with 6,000 deaths reported since the pandemic began. Of those, 2,335 deaths are tied to outbreaks at Iowa long-term care facilities. As of May 15, just one nursing home reported an outbreak: Risen Son Christian Village in Council Bluffs, in western Iowa, which reported […]
COVID-19 variant first detected in India...
Public health officials announced Tuesday, May 4, 2021, that a new COVID-19 variant has been confirmed in Iowa. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, two cases of the COVID-19 variant, SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617, were confirmed in adults in Jefferson County, in southeastern Iowa. The variant is referred to as the “India variant” because it […]
One year later: Iowa’s COVID-19 death to
On March 24, 2020, Iowa officials announced the state’s first death due to COVID-19. One year later, 5,683 Iowans have died, with more than one-third of those — 2,224 — related to COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes. The first Iowan to die of the virus was a Dubuque County resident between the ages of 61 […]
Gov. Reynolds opens vaccine to all Iowan...
UPDATE March 18, 2021: Iowa reported no nursing home outbreaks as of March 18, the first time since COVID-19 outbreaks were initially reported in the state in March 2020. Two additional deaths connected to nursing home outbreaks were reported, bringing the total to 2,224. Iowa’s total death toll increased to 5,666. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds […]
Iowa seniors await help for COVID-19 vac...
UPDATE March 8, 2021: Linn County Public Health detailed its changes to COVID-19 vaccine allocation and distribution strategies, effective March 14, 2021. Find more from Linn County Public Health, at end. Jeanne White remembers the smallpox scars that left the mark of the oftentimes deadly disease on her grandfather for much of his life. “Half […]
Iowa anticipates arrival of newly author...
(UPDATE March 1, 2021: Iowa will hit a milestone this week, with the Iowa Department of Public Health reporting the state will receive more than 100,000 vaccine doses: 27,830 through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership and 91,100 in its regular state allocation, including 25,600 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. See the full announcement, […]
Family’s pet dog is first animal to test
A Cedar Rapids family’s pet boxer has become the first non-human case of COVID-19 in Iowa. Steve Shriver said their 3 1/2-year-old dog, Eden, is recuperating as of Feb. 4, 2021, after being treated with antibiotics. “She is almost fully recovered,” Shriver said, noting that his family has already recovered from COVID-19. “The dog still […]