LOCAL COVID-19

Wed
09
Nov

ROBERTA A. MIDLAND

Roberta A. Midland passed away on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at Rotary Senior Living in Eagle Grove, at the age of 88 years.

Wed
19
Jan

Pandemic still in full force in Humboldt County

Humboldt County is one of the rural counties in the state that continues to be hit hard by the novel coronavirus and the highly contagious Omicron strain.
On Monday, Humboldt County Memorial Hospital/Humboldt County Public Health reported that between Jan. 4 – Jan. 14, 229 new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in the county. That brings the total number of Humboldt County positive cases since the first reported case in the county on April 17, 2020, to 2,461. There have been 35 deaths.
Since June 14, 2021, when the Delta variant began spiking in the county, there have been 1,264 cases. Of those, 867 or 69 percent have been persons unvaccinated, and 397 persons or 31 percent have been fully vaccinated. A total of 840 new cases have been reported in just the past three months.
HCMH Chief Executive Officer Michelle Sleiter says the amount of patients being seen at the hospital and UnityPoint Clinic has been at a very high level.

Fri
24
Dec

HCMH announces symptomatic drive-thru COVID testing by appointment


The new HCMH Ambulance Garage north of the hospital on 15th Street North is the drive-thru testing site for symptomatic COVID-19 patients in the community. People experiencing symptoms are asked to call the hospital at (515) 332-4200 for an appointment. Appointments are taken between 9-11 a.m., Monday-Friday. Humboldt Independent file photo.

The Symptomatic Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Site will open again for individuals looking for Symptomatic COVID-19 testing in Humboldt.
The drive-thru testing site is located in the new HCMH Ambulance Garage off 15th Street and will be accepting symptomatic patients by appointment only. Patients will need to call (515) 332-4200 to schedule an appointment. The Symptomatic Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Site will be open Monday-Friday from 9–11 a.m. Upon arrival, patients will need to pull into the ambulance garage from the west, complete the registration process and be tested.

Thu
04
Nov

Pediatric COVID-19 vaccination available in Humboldt County on Wednesday, Nov. 10


Children age 5-11 may sign up for the Pfizer Pediatric COVID-19 vaccination. It will be a two-dose series administered a minimum of 21 days apart. Humboldt County Public Health and Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) have scheduled a clinic for Wednesday, Nov. 10 from 2-6 p.m. at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds. This is the same time the health agencies have scheduled the third-dose Moderna booster for qualified adults. Walk-in children with a parent will be allowed.

The FDA and CDC have officially approved the administration of the Pfizer Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination for children age 5-11. This will be a two-dose series administered a minimum of 21 days apart.
Humboldt County Public Health and Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) have scheduled a clinic for Wednesday, Nov. 10 from 2-6 p.m. at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds.
If your child qualifies for this vaccine, please click on the following link to schedule their appointment(s): https://login.nowaitinside.com/booking/ItY6UTXqxe3cUctv4sHCQBuz.
Please enter through the South gate at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds on your scheduled date/time. Walk-ins are also welcome.
If you have questions regarding this vaccine, please contact your primary healthcare provider or call Humboldt County Public Health at (515) 332-2492.

Fri
29
Oct

Who should get which shot?


Dr. Cassidy Long recommends all qualified individuals get the booster dose. “I recommend sticking with the same vaccine brand for the booster if it is easily available. If that specific brand is not available, any brand of booster is better than not getting one.”

From our team at HCMH,
Michelle Sleiter, CEO

Wed
27
Oct

Two clinics scheduled for COVID-19 booster shots


Humboldt County Memorial Hospital and Humboldt County Public Health have announced two clinics for people eligible to receive COVID-19 booster shots the clinics will be Wednesday, Nov. 3 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesday, Nov. 10 from 2-6 p.m.

Humboldt County Public Health and Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) will be hosting a public COVID-19 Moderna Booster Shot Clinic at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds.
Two clinics will be held:
• Wednesday Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Wednesday Nov. 10, from 2-6 p.m.
For individuals who received a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (or Pfizer), the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at six months or more after their initial series.
• 65 years and older
•Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
• Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
• Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings
For individuals who got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago.

Wed
13
Oct

HCMH announces closing of drive-thru testing site


HCMH sponsored several vaccine clinics last winter and was one of the few rural communities who sponsored a symptomatic drive-thru testing site this fall. While the drive-thru service will be ending, COVID-19 symptomatic patients can be tested at the UnityPoint Clinic or HCMH Walk-In Clinic on Friday late afternoons and weekends.

On Sept. 20, Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) opened a drive-thru symptomatic COVID-19 testing site to meet the demands of patients and provide a rapid test result for COVID-19.
“This proved to be a great resource once again, and helped us isolate those individuals much faster to help reduce/prevent the spread of COVID-19. Today, less patients are needing to be seen for symptoms of COVID-19, and so we are making the decision to close this drive-thru testing site effective at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 18, until further notice,” HCMH Chief Executive Officer Michelle Sleiter said.

Sun
19
Sep

HCMH offers symptomatic drive-thru testing option

Individuals looking for Symptomatic COVID-19 testing will have a convenient new option beginning Monday, Sept. 20, when Humboldt County Memorial Hospital (HCMH) opens a new symptomatic drive-thru COVID-19 testing site.
The new drive-thru testing site will be located in the new HCMH Ambulance Garage off 15th Street and will be accepting symptomatic patients by appointment only. Patients will need to call (515) 332-4200 to schedule an appointment.
The symptomatic drive-thru COVID-19 testing site will be open Monday-Friday from 9–11 a.m. Upon arrival, patients will need to pull into the ambulance garage from the west, complete the registration process and be tested.
Patients will be tested using two swabs. The first is a rapid antigen test that will be resulted in approximately 15 minutes. If the results come back positive, you have COVID-19 and need to isolate for 10 days.

Thu
05
Aug

Humboldt County listed as high transmission area for COVID-19


Humboldt County Memorial Hospital CEO Michelle Sleiter reported Thursday that there have been 70 new COVID-19 cases since June 14, with 91 percent of them people who are not vaccinated. Sixty percent of the new cases are persons below the age of 40. Sleiter urges members of public who have not received a vaccine to go to one of the pharmacies in town and get a shot to protect themselves and others around them.

By Michelle Sleiter
I would like to take a moment to provide information on the current state of COVID-19 in Humboldt County. Unfortunately, this pandemic is not over and the cases in Humboldt County and across the State/Country are on the rise. Since June 14, 2021, we have seen 70 new cases of COVID-19. Of these individuals, 91 percent were NOT vaccinated and 60 percent are under the age of 40.
As of today, Thursday, Aug. 5, 3,879 individuals are fully vaccinated or 40.6 percent of the eligible population.
The CDC is currently showing Humboldt County’s Level of Community Transmission as HIGH. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
While the war against COVID-19 may look a little different than it did in November of 2020, our staff and organization are prepared to fight it once again for the families and communities we serve.

Thu
05
Aug

5 new cases reported Tuesday, Humboldt County at 7 percent positivity

Humboldt County Public Health reports an additional 14 new cases of COVID-19 in the county since July 26, raising the number of positive cases in the county since the pandemic first started to 1,265 cases.
The latest figures released on Tuesday, Aug. 3, show five additional cases of COVID-19 in the county. The breakdown is two people in the 18-40 age group, two in the 41-60 age category and one in the 81 or older group.
Coronavirus.iowa.gov reports that Humboldt County has had nine positive cases in the past week for a 7 percent positivity rate. Several counties in southern, western and north central Iowa are reporting positivity rates above 10 percent. The current statewide average is just over 7 percent.
The website reports that there are 46 Iowans currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Those are the highest numbers since April 2021. The high mark for hospitalizations was 258, back in November 2020.

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