SPM NEWS 3.8.21 - 4:32PM
Today is the one-year anniversary of the first positive cases of COVID-19 in the state of Iowa. Then were there three positive cases, since the start of Pandemic with more than 367,000 positive test results. There have been 5,559 deaths statewide and 214 in Woodbury County.
The Iowa Department of Public Health reports one more death due to complications of COVID-19 and almost 140 positive cases, including eight in Woodbury County.
The 14-day test positivity rate is 6.1%. That is two-percentage points higher than the statewide average. Almost two weeks ago the local rate was 4.7%.
There are almost 170 hospitalized across the state with 15 at Sioux City’s two major medical facilities. That is an increase of seven patients since Friday.
2.17.21: Iowa Governor Kim Reynold s comments on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Earlier this month, Iowa was near the bottom in the country for vaccination rates. The Governor says the CDC now ranks Iowa 22nd in the nation and suspects Iowa is doing even better than that recent ranking with almost 500,000 vaccinations.
Reynolds says Iowa will get 62,000 more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine next week. That’s up 24%. Also, the White House wants more vaccination clinics on weekends and Governor Reynolds says she fully supports this plan to allow people to get the vaccine during convenient times.
Nebraska expects more than 60,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines to be available in the state this week as officials continue to focus on vaccinating everyone 65 and older across Nebraska. It’s not yet clear how many doses will be allocated this week to a new federal program that is distributing some virus shots through select pharmacies. Last week, that program received 5,700 doses of the vaccines.
SPM NEWS 1.14.20 - 3:04PM
Siouxland is gearing up for the second Blizzard Warning in three weeks. The warning starts tonight at 6 and extends until 6 p.m. tomorrow. The forecast calls for 3 to 8 inches by tomorrow afternoon, with wind gusts as high as 60 miles per hour.
On social media, the National Weather Service says the severity of the storm will depend on how much snow falls. If we see more than an inch on the group with additional blowing snow, conditions will be more significant, especially for portions of Iowa and Minnesota.
Nebraska voters could get to decide whether to restrict local government spending next year under Gov. Pete Ricketts’ new property tax proposal that he presented to lawmakers during his state of the state address today.