Wednesday, November 30, 2022
130 New Cases in Last 7 Days
New COVID Variant Reported in Dubuque County
The Dubuque County Public Health Incident Management Team was notified that cases of the COVID-19 Omicron BQ. 1.1 variant were reported in Dubuque county.
- The Omicron BQ. subvariants have a very high level of immune evasiveness (the virus can evade or escape detection by antibodies),
- 21% of Dubuque Count COVID cases reported in the past 7 days are in the 0-10 years and 85+ years age groups, signifying the very old and very young, while those in the 40-44 and 65-69 year-old groups are also seeing a significant number of cases.
- Nationally, BQ.1 now makes up 27.9%, with BQ.1.1 making up 29.4%.
- Local hospitals and clinics continue to see a high rate of respiratory illness and hospitalizations due to respiratory illness, including RSV, COVID, and significant influenza, which we typically don’t see until January and February.
The CDC continues to monitor changes in the virus to inform individual and community-level actions. We now have many tools to protect ourselves and those around us who remain at higher risk for severe illness.
- COVID-19 vaccines and treatments remain the best lines of defense against severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
- Stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccinations. People of any age who are vaccinated have a lower risk of dying, with the most protection observed among people who have received boosters or additional doses.
- If you are immunocompromised, talk with your healthcare provider about Evusheld, a preventive medication that is given before you get exposed or test positive.
- If you test positive for COVID-19 and are more likely to get very sick, other treatments (such as Paxlovid) can reduce your chances of hospitalization and death.*
People can also protect themselves and others by wearing a mask, getting tested if needed, staying home if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, improving ventilation when indoors, and using other layered prevention measures.
Every life lost to COVID-19 is a tragedy and should be a reminder to continue taking precautions to prevent further serious illness and death. As the virus continues to spread and change over time, everyone should continue to take steps to protect themselves and others.
VNA Offering Walk-In Vaccination/Booster Clinics
The VNA is hosting walk in COVID-19 vaccination clinics for primary series and bivalent booster doses, including pediatric bivalent boosters, at its clinic at 660 Iowa Street in Dubuque. Primary series refers to the initial COVID-19 vaccine doses and the bivalent booster dose is a version of the COVID-19 vaccine that offers protection against the original strain of COVID-19 as well as the Omicron strain, which is now the predominant variant of the virus around the world. Appointments are not required.
Clinics are scheduled for:
- Friday, Dec. 9, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Monday, Dec. 12, 3 - 6 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 16, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Monday, Jan. 9, 3 - 6 p.m.
Get information on other vaccine providers.
New Cases
https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus/COVID-19-Reporting
- 130* new positive cases reported since Nov. 23.
- Total positive cases/individuals reported to date = 29,962
* Due to the wide availability of at-home rapid tests, the results of which are usually not reported/recorded, new COVID cases are underreported. The number reported in this update is the number of new cases reported to the Iowa Department of Public Health.
Deaths
- No additional deaths reported since Nov. 23. Dubuque County's total to date is 322.
Current COVID-19 Community Level = MEDIUM
COVID-19 Integrated County View
Please do not reply to this message. If you have general questions about COVID-19, please call 563-556-6200.