Rates of community transmission of COVID-19 as of July 29th.

Thirteen COVID-19 deaths have been added in Iowa in the last week, as the state’s 7-day average positive test rate has doubled in the last two weeks to 6.6%, and Washington County’s has also doubled to 6%.

Due to new evidence of the Delta variant circulating in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their face mask guidance Tuesday recommending that fully vaccinated people wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. The CDC also recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. Washington County Public Health Administrator Danielle Pettit-Majewski shares that virtually all hospitalizations and deaths continue to be among the unvaccinated, and she says the best way to protect yourself and others is to get vaccinated, “Right now vaccination will protect you from the spread of the Delta variant. However, if we continue to have low levels of vaccination we can start to see increasing mutations with this variant that aren’t going to be protected by this vaccine and nobody wants to start over. Nobody wants to redo this nightmare that we lived through so the best way out of this really is to ensure that you are getting those two-dose vaccinations for everybody in your family, in your household that is eligible.”

COVID-19 vaccines are free, don’t require proof of insurance, and are available for those 12 and older through pharmacies and healthcare providers. The CDC now has an online map that shows the level of community transmission in individual counties, which currently shows Washington, Jefferson, Keokuk, and Henry counties at a moderate rate, Louisa at a low rate, and Iowa at a substantial rate. Click here to find a vaccine provider nearest to you.