Des Moines, Iowa — A top health official in the Biden Administration is urging more Iowans to get COVID shots.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was in Des Moines Thursday, a day after state officials confirmed 42 Iowans had died of COVID in the past four weeks. Becerra says 99 percent of the Americans who are dying of the virus are unvaccinated.
State officials report just under 49 percent of Iowa residents had been fully vaccinated by the middle of this week. Becerra stopped short of saying businesses should mandate vaccinations for employees, but he said employers should do what they believe is necessary to protect their workforce against COVID-19.
Data released this week by the Iowa Department of Public Health shows the number of COVID cases in Iowa has risen to levels not seen since January and the number of COVID patients in Iowa hospitals has increased 20 percent in the past week. About 8 out of 10 of those patients have not been vaccinated.
