POLK COUNTY, Iowa — Public health officials in Iowa's largest county say the county is back in a situation "we hoped to never be in again" when it comes to COVID-19 activity.
COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations in Polk County are on the rise, leading officials to urge residents to get vaccinated and practice mitigation efforts like wearing a mask.
Deaths from the virus did decrease when vaccines were made available, but Polk County Medical Examiner Dr. Joshua Akers says all of the work put into reducing deaths is "quickly being undone."
"The first full week of August we saw seven COVID-19 related deaths and the numbers are continuing to rise," Akers said in a press release. "What is also concerning is that we are beginning to see the average age of decedents getting younger.”
PCHD reports COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased 175% over the last three weeks. As of Tuesday, hospitalizations in the county totaled 109. The county hasn't seen a trend in hospitalizations like this since October 2020.
Of those hospitalized, four are under the age of 18.
"While four may seem like a small number to most, this is the highest number of under 18 COVID-19 hospitalized patients we have ever seen throughout the pandemic," PCHD announced.
On Wednesday, Nola Aigner Davis with PCHD said officials are worried about health care workers.
"Think about this, they have been doing this since March of 2020. They are tired, they are burnt out mentally and physically. And when we had a vaccine, we were all so incredibly excited, because we thought this was light at the end of the tunnel," Aigner Davis said. "And for us to see our numbers just increasing... It's scary. And it's frustrating because we can't keep doing this to our hospital staff. We cannot keep doing this to them."
Since the first weekend of August, PCHD says cases have increased by 87%. In July, the county averaged 31 cases a day, now the county is averaging 120 cases per day.
PCHD expects these numbers to continue on their rising trend due to school starting and individuals not following mitigation practices.
“Our hospitals are full. Our healthcare workers are tired. Parents and guardians are scared to send their children to schools,” said Helen Eddy, Director of Polk County Health Department. “We implore everyone to step up, once again, and do the right thing for the people you love and care about, for our community and for the 82,000 kids in Polk County who cannot be vaccinated.”
Health officials urge everyone to continue to practice mitigation strategies to stop the spread of COVID-19:
- Get vaccinated
- Wear a mask as the CDC recommends
- Stay home when you're sick
- Wash your hands frequently
- Practice social distancing