Iowa news
Polk County vaccine lottery falling short of hopes in boosting COVID-19 vaccination rates
Polk County’s vaccine lottery has awarded $140,000 to lucky residents so far, but it hasn’t moved as many needles as hoped. The Polk County Supervisors launched the initiative in June with the hopes of pushing the vaccination rate to about 75% of the population by the end of the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 23. To hit that goal, about 6,500 Polk County residents would have needed to get vaccinated every week through the end of the fair. But only about 2,000 people have gotten vaccinated a week recently. (Des Moines Register)
NAMI Iowa, Amerigroup Foundation to offer free ‘Ending the Silence’ presentations
The Iowa affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Amerigroup Foundation are joining forces to provide the “Ending the Silence” education program free to organizations statewide. The 50-minute evidence-based program aims to change lives by raising awareness about mental illness, addressing stigma and offering information and resources for receiving help. (Business Record)
University of Iowa researchers pursuing nose-spray vaccine against COVID-19
With new COVID-19 cases rising again in the US — with variants spreading quickly and many people hesitant or unable to get vaccinated — University of Iowa researchers are aiding national efforts to curb the disease with tools like an experimental nasal vaccine and gathering information to increase youth inoculations. (The Gazette)
National news
What 800 hospital execs said they needed to undergo a digital transformation
The pandemic has led to calls for a digital overhaul of long-standing hospital practices, but there are still some outstanding factors causing hesitation, according to a Harvard Business Review report. In a survey of nearly 800 board directors, three trends emerged as the biggest roadblocks to adapting to a digital-first world. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
After a steep plunge in virus cases, every state is seeing an uptick
The number of new coronavirus cases is increasing in every state, setting off a growing sense of concern from health officials who are warning that the pandemic in the US is far from over, although the national outlook is far better than during previous upticks. (The New York Times)
US government to send 100 people to Nevada for vaccine efforts amid surge
At the request of Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, the federal government is deploying more than 100 people to help enhance vaccine access and vaccine outreach efforts. The White House is also providing Missouri with CDC technical expertise, including a genetics sequencing data analysis outbreak response. (Becker’s Hospital Review)