Iowa news
Black Hawk County to offer COVID-19 vaccine incentives one year after severe outbreak
An Iowa county that had one of the nation’s highest coronavirus infection rates at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic plans to offer incentives to residents hesitant to get vaccinated. Black Hawk County’s board of health has signed off on tapping $10,000 from a private foundation to encourage more residents to get the shots, likely making it the first community in Iowa to offer vaccination incentives. (Des Moines Register)
Clive Fire Department uses CARES Act funds to launch mental health care program for first responders
Bracketed by fire trucks, members of Clive’s Fire Department met with US Rep. Cindy Axne Wednesday to discuss the importance of mental health programs to keep their first responders safe, healthy and alive. The fire department already offers several services to its firefighters — officials recently partnered with a psychologist to set up a peer-support network, and the department has chaplains available to help first responders work through on- and off-the-job issues. But when the COVID-19 pandemic began, Assistant Chief Clayton Garcia knew his team needed another outlet — quickly. (Des Moines Register)
Virtual treatment sees increase as more Iowans die from opioid overdoses
According to the CDC, 88,000 Americans lost their lives to an opioid overdose. That is a 27% increase since 2019. Although it is too soon to determine if the pandemic is the direct cause of the increase, it is highly possible. In the state, 212 Iowans died from an opioid overdose. That is up 35% from 2019, where 157 Iowans died. The trouble with people taking opioids in isolation is not being able to administer Narcan if they begin to experience respiratory depression. (KTVO)
National news
As the pandemic continues, more information is accumulating about the loss of smell that afflicts as many as 70%-80% of people who catch COVID-19 and seems particularly common among those with mild disease. For most, the condition lasts only a few days or weeks. But for as many as one-third, the loss can last for months. It may even be permanent. Now, a new understanding is emerging about what causes smell loss with COVID-19 and, eventually, how it might be treated. (Des Moines Register)
COVID-19 news: Cases on US college campuses are slowing down
As spring classes draw to a close and more people in the US get vaccinated, coronavirus infections, which plagued college campuses nationwide and seeped into the community at large, appear to be slowing among students and employees. The New York Times has been tracking virus cases at US colleges and universities for nearly a year and has identified about 700,000 infections involving students and employees. Of those, more than 260,000 cases have occurred since Jan. 1. (The New York Times)
70% COVID-19 vaccination rate may be in reach, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests the US could be on track to vaccinate at least 70% of the adult population against COVID-19 by this summer. In the latest survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 62% of respondents said they had received at least one dose of a vaccine, up from 56% in April. At the same time, about a third of those categorized as “wait and see” reported they had made vaccine appointments or planned to do so imminently. (The New York Times)