With super-contagious XBB.1.5 variant looming, Iowa COVID-19 cases holding steady so far

Iowa entered the new year in roughly the same pandemic situation as it left the previous one, according to data released Wednesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

But a new, even more contagious variant of the virus is waiting in the wings.

After spending much of December with between 200 and 300 COVID-19 hospitalizations, the state's hospitals reported 248 patients with COVID-19, according to the federal health and human services department. Of those, 17 required intensive care for COVID-19 complications.

The number of new cases reported in the state dropped from its December levels, the state health department said. Last week, there were 2,148 new cases reported, and this week saw 2,256 added to the tally. That's roughly 307 and 322 cases per day over those respective weeks, down from an average of about 500 over the rest of December.

It's unclear, however, what impact the holiday stretch may have had on the state's testing rates. In addition, at-home tests — four more are now available per household for free through the U.S. Postal Service — are typically not included in the state's count, meaning the actual number of cases in Iowa is likely higher.

The state's monthly vaccination update had not been released as of Wednesday morning, but as of December's update, 59.9% of the state's population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and only 14.8% had received a bivalent booster dose, designed for particular protection against the currently dominant omicron strains of the coronavirus.

Vaccinations have taken on renewed importance as a new subvariant of the omicron strain has emerged in the U.S., particularly in the New York area.

The XBB.1.5 variant appears to be about five times more contagious than earlier omicron strains, which themselves were five times more contagious than the initial coronavirus strains. While it does not at this time appear to be causing more severe infections, it already accounts for about 40% of new cases in the U.S., as of the week ending Dec. 31.

As has been typical throughout the pandemic, it's taken longer for the strain to reach Iowa than other parts of the country. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, XBB.1.5 was responsible for only about 8% of new cases in the region that includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska in the week ending Dec. 31.

More:XBB.1.5, a more contagious variant, now accounts for over 40% of COVID cases

The state health department has reported more COVID-19 deaths in recent weeks, although many of those deaths likely occurred several weeks earlier, as it takes time for the health department to verify and publicly report COVID-19 deaths.

The state reported 40 additional COVID-19 deaths this week, in line with the average over the past three weeks. The state had not previously reported more than 40 COVID-19 deaths in one week since September.

The COVID-19 deaths reported this week raise the state's pandemic death toll to 10,463, or nearly one in every 300 Iowans.

The latest COVID-19 numbers in Iowa

The latest data in Iowa since March 2020 for the pandemic, as of midnight Jan. 4, compared with one week earlier:

• Confirmed cases: 888,667, an increase of 2,256.
• Deaths: 10,463, an increase of 40.

Iowa is updating COVID-19 vaccination data once per month. As of Dec. 4, 59.9% of the state's population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, having received either both doses of a two-dose sequence or one dose of a single-dose sequence.

How many people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Iowa?

Note: Hospitalization data for COVID-19 is no longer available through the Iowa Department of Public Health. The data below is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

• Hospitalizations: 248.
• Patients in intensive care: 17.

Tim Webber is a data visualization specialist for the Register. Reach him at twebber@registermedia.com, 515-284-8532, and on Twitter at @HelloTimWebber.