Iowa news
COVID-19 contact tracing dwindles as delta variant surge overwhelms Iowa’s efforts
Many Iowa public health departments have all but given up trying to track down people who might have been exposed to someone infected with the coronavirus. The virus has become so widespread, it has overwhelmed health agencies’ traditional contact tracing efforts, experts say. (Des Moines Register)
CDC recommends masks in all 99 Iowa counties; COVID-19 spread substantial statewide
Every person in Iowa, vaccinated or not, should wear a mask when in public indoor spaces because of the level of spread of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends the measure to stem the tide of the disease when there is substantial spread of the virus — 50 or more confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the prior week, or a positive test rate of 8% or greater. (Des Moines Register)
Nurses face burn out as COVID-19 cases move back up
As COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in Iowa, nurses remain the health care workers who are vital to caring for the sickest patients. A year and a half into the pandemic, nurses in some parts of the state are at risk of burning out. (Radio Iowa)
National news
There’s a crisis in Alabama hospitals
The surge in COVID-19 cases has pushed some Alabama hospitals to the brink, and health care leaders have used the crisis as an opportunity to urge vaccination and school mask mandates. The leaders make their case through press conferences and statistics but haven’t shown the public what’s happening on hospital floors. One of the worst emergencies in Alabama history has played out mostly behind closed doors because of a combination of federal privacy laws and hospital policies. (AL)
Citing efforts already in place at hospitals, the American Hospital Association is urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to withdraw its COVID-19 emergency temporary standard for healthcare workers. An Aug. 20 letter from the association calls on OSHA to move forward with a withdrawal of the emergency temporary standard interim final rule, or allow the standard to expire at the end of the six months and not issue a final rule. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
COVID-19 surge taking toll on Minnesota hospitals
The latest COVID-19 surge is filling up Minnesota’s hospital beds. Numbers are not at the levels seen back in late November or in April, but other factors are also adding to hospital workers’ stress as demand for hospital beds increases. (Kare 11)