Iowa news
Iowa COVID-19 cases jump sharply, test positivity among highest in nation
Iowa has seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases during the past week and has one of the highest test positivity rates in the nation. Anthony Fauci, MD, and epidemiologists have warned the spread of new versions of the virus when many Americans are ditching their masks and being more active outside the home could bring an uptick just when the nation appeared to be on its way to gaining control of the pandemic. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa social workers fighting for continued reimbursement for telehealth visits
Since this time last year, social workers in the mental health field have integrated telehealth services in their practices to accommodate the needs of their clients. This wasn’t an easy task, but telehealth worked out better than most therapists could have imagined. Iowa’s chapter of the National Association of Social Workers recently conducted a study with its members. Sixty-two percent of respondents feel that their clients get as much out of telehealth interactions as they do in-person sessions and more than 90% of respondents said they are more likely to keep telehealth services post-pandemic. (WHO 13)
Feared refusal of COVID-19 vaccines among Black, Hispanic Iowans not materializing
Iowans from the state’s racial and ethnic minorities are increasingly willing to accept COVID-19 vaccinations, if they’re offered the shots, advocates say. Before the vaccines started arriving in December, experts worried that nonwhite members of the community would be hesitant to seek the shots. Such concerns often focused on people who are Black, whose history includes inadequate or unethical treatment by health care authorities. (Des Moines Register)
National news
As COVID-19 cases creep up again nationwide, federal officials and epidemiologists say they’re worried we could hit another tipping point, leading to a fourth significant surge of infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Average daily reported cases are up 10% compared to a week earlier, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows, with more than 30 million COVID-19 cases reported since early last year. Hospitalizations and deaths, which usually lag cases by a few weeks, have inched upward as well, after a decline and plateau that began in early January. (MNS.com)
It’s possible to reach herd immunity, then lose it. Here’s how to prevent that from happening.
If you think herd immunity is the finish line to this pandemic, it’s time for a reality check. Herd immunity with COVID-19 could come and go, scientists say. Or we might never reach it at all. But don’t panic. Here’s why it’s possible to dip in and out of herd immunity, and what you can do now to maximize the chances of snuffing out COVID-19 for good. (The Courier)
For COVID-19 long-haulers, is getting reasonable accommodation under the ADA the next issue?
The wide range and unquestionable severity of long-term effects for a subset of Covid-19 patients is already well-supported by a number of studies. They experience often unpredictable combinations of symptoms, including chest pain, intermittent fevers, gastrointestinal problems, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, memory and attention problems, low energy and more. (NBC News)