A few COVID-19 reminders...

· Polk County is doing well in terms of numbers. The rate of new cases is just under 100 per 100,000, which is still high but the lowest seen since early June. However, the state is trending very poorly.

· High case counts in Iowa are being driven by a significant surge in Northwestern Iowa, though also in areas of Southwest Iowa. This is serious and those areas of the state should be avoided.

· As of yesterday, 413 Iowans were hospitalized for COVID-19, 104 of those are in ICU, and 43 are on ventilators. This is the HIGHEST number of hospitalizations at any point in the pandemic.

· In the last 7 days, 71 Iowans have died from COVID-19-related causes.

· Iowa has the 6th highest rate of cases per 100,000 in the country.

· This is a good read about the vaccine if you’re interested . https://www.thelancet.com/.../PIIS0140-6736(20.../fulltext

Stay vigilant. Wear a mask. Get your flu shot.