Following the Iowa Department of Public Health’s announcement on Monday that three cases of the B117 variant of the coronavirus had been detected in Iowa — two in Johnson County and one in Bremer County — Johnson County Public Health put out a brief statement. “This particular variant has been detected in a number of […]
Iowa Department of Public Health
Posted inCommunity/News
ICCSD families will have to choose all in-person or all online instruction as new state law limits district’s options
Following Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signing of a new law requiring school districts to offer an all in-person class option, the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) announced it will discontinue the hybrid model of education it implemented when limited in-person instruction resumed last fall. “Effective February 15, 2021, the District will no longer offer the […]
Posted inCOVID-19
U.K. variant of COVID-19 detected in Johnson County
A variant of COVID-19 that spreads more easily than the strain that has already infected more than 319,000 Iowans has been detected in the state, the Iowa Department of Public Health announced Monday. The department said three cases of COVID-19 caused by the B117 variant — also known as the U.K. variant, since it was […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Vaccine dashboard added to state’s COVID-19 site as more Iowans become eligible for shots
The Iowa Department of Public Health added a new page containing vaccine information to its COVID-19 information site on Friday night, just before almost 20 percent of Iowa’s population became eligible for the vaccine on Monday. Starting Feb. 1, approximately 530,000 Iowans who are 65 and older, as well as 130,000 people in Tier 1 […]
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Gov. Reynolds signs bill requiring all schools to offer 100% in-person instruction regardless of COVID-19 conditions
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill on Friday morning that will require all school districts to provide 100 percent in-person instruction to any student whose parents request it, regardless of its possible impact on the spread of COVID-19 in a school or a community. “It’s time to put local control into the hands of parents, […]
Posted inCOVID-19
COVID-19: Biden administration ups Iowa’s vaccine allotment by 16%; Reynolds defends state’s low testing rates
Gov. Kim Reynolds said on Wednesday the Biden administration will be increasing every state’s allotment of COVID-19 vaccine by 16 percent starting next week. “In Iowa, this should equate to an additional 6,300 doses,” the governor said during a news conference. “And they did say that that increased amount is guaranteed for the next three […]
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Linn County will begin offering COVID-19 vaccine to residents 65 and older starting Tuesday
Linn County residents 65 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Tuesday, but vaccine supply remains limited, Linn County Public Health officials announced Monday. MercyCare clinics, UnityPoint Health Clinics and various independent healthcare providers will begin contacting patients on Monday to provide an opportunity to schedule a vaccination appointment. Residents […]
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Wear a mask, Iowa Public Health Association asks state lawmakers
The Iowa Public Health Association (IPHA) sent an open letter to the state legislature on Thursday, asking lawmakers to “accept your position of critical role models to the people of Iowa” and “lead by example and always wear a mask during your work at the Capitol and ask others to do the same.” As IPHA […]
Posted inCOVID-19
‘Our state has never been stronger’: Reynolds calls for accelerated tax cuts and full-time in-person school, despite pandemic
More than 4,200 Iowans have died from COVID-19, and food insecurity in the state has been pushed to it highest level in living memory by economic damage from the pandemic. Still, Gov. Kim Reynolds told the Iowa Legislature at the beginning of her Condition of the State speech on Tuesday night that “the condition of […]
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Linn County has only received an ‘extremely limited’ supply of COVID-19 vaccine, health officials say
Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are arriving in Iowa and Linn County “very slowly,” and supply of the vaccine is “extremely limited,” according to Linn County Public Health. County public health and medical officials from the local hospitals urged residents during a LCPH news conference to remain patient as it might take the county longer […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa may soon start vaccinating all older adults; anti-vaxxers protest without masks at State Capitol
A total of 91,501 Iowans, including 9,411 residents of Johnson County and 6,797 residents of Linn County, had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. The department has said it will now publish updates on the number of people vaccinated, at both […]
Posted inCommunity/News
COVID-19: ICCSD’s waiver request was denied as Reynolds plans elimination of hybrid learning; deaths surpass 4,000
Late on Thursday afternoon, the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) rejected the Iowa City Community School District’s request for a waiver to switch to all online classes for two weeks. The district applied for the waiver on Tuesday as Johnson County’s COVID-19 test positivity rate continued to increase over the last two weeks, with fears […]
