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Polk County health officials urge public to take pandemic seriously as hospitalizations spike continues

Iowa has set a new record of COVID-19 hospitalizations every day for almost the last two weeks. Friday, that number was up to 912.

POLK COUNTY, Iowa — For the 12th straight day, the state of Iowa has set a new record number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations.  At 912 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus, health officials are starting to worry.

Polk County Public Health Director Helen Eddy says if the county's hospitalization spike goes unaddressed, the health systems could be overwhelmed.

"We are asking the citizens of Polk County to listen and take action to protect our hospitals and health care workers," Eddy said.  

"It is time to step up so we can avoid the unthinkable: our health care system unable to care for all patients.  We need your help.  This is urgent."

Leaders from UnityPoint Health, MercyOne, Broadlawns, the Iowa Clinic and more agreed, saying they may not have enough doctors and nurses to care for everyone if this keeps up, because the virus's community spread is a reflection of how staff is affected by the virus as well.

RELATED: Doctors warn hospitals could be overrun by coronavirus soon

The urging of caution comes just a day after Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the launching of a media campaign to encourage Iowans to take action, continuing to not implement any sort of mask requirement on a statewide level despite multiple recommendations to do so from the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

Reynolds believes the success of republican candidates in the election in Iowa is proof that Iowans approve of her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

That claim comes after a joint research study from Northeastern, Northwestern, Rutgers and Harvard Universities released in September, before hospitalizations started spiking, showed Reynolds to have the lowest pandemic response approval rating of any governor in the nation at just 26%.

RELATED: 'I am asking Iowans to double down': Reynolds urges mitigation efforts as COVID-19 hospitalizations surge

You can find the most up-to-date hospitalization data from the Iowa Department of Public Health below, or by clicking/tapping here.

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