Hawkeye Reporter

COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases have reached an all-time high, setting records in 2021 with more than three-quarters of the patients not fully vaccinated.

"Reynolds also said that Iowa ended COVID. However, IA has a positivity rate over 12% & more than 84% of those hospitalized are unvaccinated. Perhaps try taking responsibility for failed public health initiatives instead of taking credit for Dems' work to help all Americans," tweeted Patti Vasquez on Dec. 11.

As per the latest update on Dec. 15, there are 823 COVID-19 patients in Iowa hospitals. Among them, there are 103 on ventilators and 173 on intensive care. 

"Those that are sick, and especially in our ICUS, are our unvaccinated patients and it's heartbreaking," pediatric critical care specialist Tracy L. Ekhardt said in an interview, according to the Des Moines Register. "I'm in pediatrics and I'm seeing more and more patients in my ICU. I have two babies on ventilators (due to COVID-19) right now. This far into it, to continue to see this many really sick patients is devastating."

The death toll has reached 7,680, according to the data from Dec. 15. The statewide positivity rate is 11.3%.

The percentage of Iowans that are fully vaccinated is 54.4% as of Dec. 8. The state also reported that out of 284,000 children in the age group of 5 to 11, 6% are fully vaccinated.