Iowa tops 10,000 COVID deaths as many residents unvaccinated

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 10,000 people have died with COVID-19 infections in Iowa, state officials reported this week.

Iowa data updated Wednesday shows 10,051 deaths associated with the viral infection. The state averages eight deaths a day when measured as a seven-day moving average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Iowa has the 19th highest quarterly COVID-19 death rate in the nation with 135.6 deaths per 100,000 people.

More than 4,000 people in Iowa have died with a COVID-19 virus infection since April 2021, when vaccines became available for all adults. With widespread vaccine availability for most of the population, deaths are now considered largely preventable.

Nearly one-third of Iowa residents haven’t had a single dose of vaccine. Iowa ranks 33rd in the nation for percentage of total population with at least one dose of vaccine at 69.3%.

Gov. Kim Reynolds cut public reporting of COVID-19 data to basic information in February, saying the state no longer needed to treat the virus as a public health emergency.