Humboldt County listed as high transmission area for COVID-19

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.
We are here to help answer any questions you may have or provide resources to guide you.
Per the CDC as of August 2, 2021:
Over 346 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in the United States from December 14, 2020, through August 2, 2021.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA).
CDC recommends everyone 12 years and older get vaccinated as soon as possible to help protect against COVID-19 and the related, potentially severe complications that can occur.
Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the pandemic.
If you are interested in getting the COVID-19 vaccine in Humboldt, Hy-Vee Pharmacy has the Pfizer Vaccine and Larry’s Pharmacy has the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. No appointments are required at either location.
Thank you for your continued support as we continue to fight through this pandemic. We will be updating our current positive case counts on a weekly basis at humboldthospital.org.

Five new cases reported Tuesday
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.

UnityPoint Health issues vaccine mandate for employees
UnityPoint Health is announcing today it will require its more than 33,000 team members to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The three-state health system also continues to urge all eligible individuals to get their COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible.
“We remain incredibly grateful to our health care providers, who have seen the devastation of COVID-19 up close and personal over the past 18 months,” said Clay Holderman, president and CEO of UnityPoint Health. “After thoughtful consideration, we believe this vaccination requirement will help keep our team members, patients and communities as healthy as possible, so we can focus on what we do best—delivering exceptional care to those we serve.”
UnityPoint Health will require all employed team members, regardless of whether they provide direct patient care or not, to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1, 2021.
Team members who choose not to become vaccinated will be subject to voluntary resignation or termination. Team members can request an exemption for medical or religious reasons, which is consistent with the health system’s practice for other required vaccines. Additionally, while pregnant team members will be strongly encouraged to get vaccinated, a temporary deferral will be available.
The system has made it a priority to educate its team members on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, sharing clinically validated information with all team members and answering staff questions on the vaccine since December 2020.
“The COVID vaccine is safe and effective in terms of preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death,” said Dr. Dave Williams, Chief Clinical Officer of UnityPoint Health. “The continued wave of infections throughout the country make it clear we are not done fighting this pandemic, which means more people need to get vaccinated, especially before an anticipated increase of respiratory illnesses this fall.”
UnityPoint Health joins numerous health systems across the country in requiring the vaccine, a decision also strongly supported by the American Hospital Association, American Nurses Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Association of American Medical Colleges and National Association for Home Care and Hospice.