Iowa news
MercyOne Des Moines says virtual nursing is the new normal
MercyOne Des Moines says it is the only hospital in the state to use virtual nursing. The program started during the pandemic as a way to conserve personal protective equipment and limit exposure. MercyOne Des Moines says the program was so beneficial and efficient that it is now permanent and expanding within the hospital. Virtual nurses do not replace bedside nurses but work virtually to support them on the back end. Virtual nurses can review charts, call for lab results and act as a bridge between patients, doctors and bedside nurses. (KCCI)
81 of Iowa’s 99 counties did not accept new COVID-19 vaccine doses this week
Most of Iowa’s counties did not accept COVID-19 vaccine doses this week. This week, state health officials say they accepted just 12% of its weekly allotment from the federal government. Eighty-one of Iowa’s 99 counties didn’t accept any new doses this week. Polk County is one of them. County health department spokesperson Nola Aigner-Davis says county officials have been taking a more targeted approach to try to increase vaccination rates. (Iowa Public Radio)
UnityPoint breaking ground on primary care clinic in Marion
UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids broke ground Tuesday on a new clinic in Marion. UnityPoint Clinic – Tower Terrace is scheduled to open in the summer of 2022. The Tower Terrace clinic will increase access to primary care in the community. The 11,500-square-foot facility will offer family medicine and pediatric services. Patients can schedule routine visits such as wellness exams and vaccinations as well as be seen for nonemergent, acute illnesses. (KWWL)
National news
Children’s risk of serious illness from COVID-19 is as low as it is for the flu
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a strong statement about the effectiveness of vaccines when it decided that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks in most circumstances. But it left some parents concerned about how the change might affect children too young to be vaccinated. Dr. Paul Offit, who heads the vaccine education center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, says that the new mask guidance is mostly good news. (Iowa Public Radio)
CDC looking into possible link between heart problem and COVID-19 vaccines in young people
Doctors offered reassurance Tuesday following several dozen reports of mostly mild heart problems after COVID-19 vaccinations, but suggested recipients and their families pay close attention to possible symptoms, such as chest pain and shortness of breath. It remains unclear whether the vaccine is the cause of the heart problem, called myocarditis. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine safety group said it was looking into “relatively few reports” of the condition in vaccinated people — primarily teenagers and young adults. (NBC News)
Half of all US adults are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19
The US COVID-19 vaccination program has gone from zero to 50% in less than six months. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Biden administration says, half of the country’s adults are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Nearly 130 million people age 18 and older have completed their vaccine regimens since the first doses were administered to the public last December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Another 70 million vaccine doses are in the distribution pipeline. (Iowa Public Radio)