Hunter
11/13/20
The coronavirus pandemic is reaching a critical stage, as 14-day rolling average positivity rates continue to rise at a steep climb, and hospitals are being pushed to the brink.
The Iowa Department of Public Health announced Friday a record 5065 confirmed cases over the last 24-hour period, a positivity rate among those tested of 46 percent.
19 new deaths were reported, bringing the total to 1947. A record 1227 people are now hospitalized in the state due to COVID-19, with a record 240 in the ICU.
ICU beds in eastern Iowa are at a premium. 15 of 17 hospitals in the area have no ICU beds available. Mercy Medical Center and UnityPoint St. Luke’s Hospital jointly announced that they’re reducing surgical cases that require a hospital stay through November 20th, and will not schedule elective procedures that require an overnight stay until after the 20th.
All states are seeing increases in cases, and there have been reports of staffing issues and lack of PPE equipment.
Iowa statistics are available at www.iowacovid19tracker.org or at www.coronavirus.iowa.gov .
