COVID-19 UpdateCity of Dubuque
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE
SUMMARY:
SUGGESTED
DISPOSITION:
Copyrighted
January 3, 2023
Presentation(s) # 01.
COVID-19 Update
Public Health Director Mary Rose Corrigan will provide an update on the
COVID-19 pandemic and response activities.
Dubuque
THE CITY OF
All -America City
NI N N�11 � 71-9�.; I.I �". 1
DUB E 'I
2007*2012.2013
Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2017*2019
TO: Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Director
SUBJECT: COVID-19 City Council update
DATE: Jan 3, 2023
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Health Services Department
City Hall Annex
1300 Main Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Office (563) 589-4181
Fax (563) 589-4299
TTY (563) 589-4193
health@cityofdubuque.org
www.cityofdubuque.org
The Dubuque County Public Health Incident Management (IMT) team consisting of City
of Dubuque Health Services Department (Mary Rose Corrigan) VNA (Stacey Killian),
and the Dubuque County Emergency Management Agency (Tom Berger), along with
both hospitals continue monitoring the pandemic and providing guidance. We welcome
Allie White, newly appointed Director of the Dubuque County Health Department, to the
IMT. Members of the IMT and community healthcare partners continue to gradually
resume "pre -pandemic" activities. The IMT also consists of City of Dubuque Health
Services Department Environmental Sanitarians Tim Link and Sydney Moquin who are
spending much less time on the pandemic response. The Iowa Department of Public
Health (IDPH) provides information via Health Alerts and their website. Randy Gehl
continues to serve as the Public Information (PIO) officer for the IMT.
CURRENT INFORMATION
Iowa Coronavirus dashboard with case counts and other related COVID -19 data can be
found at
https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus/COVID-19-Reporting
Case and Vaccination Data Via CDC:
https://covid.cdc.aov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home
Vaccination scheduling and access information:
https://www.cityofdubuque.org/2965/COVID-19-Vaccinations
and at https://vaccinefinder.org/
Dubuque VNA
VNA continues to operate the public call center for Dubuque County 7 days/week for
general COVID questions along with quarantine and isolation specifics. To date VNA
has fielded over 48,871 calls/contacts from the community and continues to administer
vaccines. Along with free vaccinations, VNA distributes home Testlowa COVID test kits
to anyone needing a test, free of charge.
Hospital Capacity Planning
COVID-19 hospitalizations remain stable during December, 2022. In addition to COVID
patients, the hospitals are experiencing significant influenza and respiratory patients.
However, the number of pediatric patients, particularly with RSV, has now reverted to
normal census. The hospitals are no longer reporting the number of COVID -19 patients
to the IMT or the media. However, the IMT meets bi-weekly with hospitals to assess
local capacity, capability and patient load, including patient census for non- COVID-19
illness.
The IMT continues to monitor hospital capacity and capability and communicate
with MercyOne and UnityPoint Finley Hospitals as needed, and they provide patient
census data upon request to the IMT. Hospitals continue to be very busy with a variety
of conditions and illnesses.
Public Information
The City Public Information Office (PIO), in conjunction with the Incident Management
Team (IMT), continues to produce and distribute weekly County COVID updates with
important messages to residents as well as new data on new cases, deaths, and
vaccinations. The PIO office responds to news media requests for interviews and
information and assists the IMT with general messaging/communication needs. The PIO
continues to track multiple metrics for the IMT and update the COVID-19 webpage on
the City website. Videos featuring Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan are
produced when needed and distributed through all available channels. In addition to
continued marketing of vaccinations, PIO staff are promoting booster doses and clinics
where they are available. PIO services provided by Public Information Officer Randy
Gehl and Mary Rose Corrigan will be billed to Dubuque County based as soon as the
agreement if fully signed and executed with the Board of Health.
COVID- 19 Vaccination
The IMT continues to manage the IDPH vaccine allocations and distribution, primarily
through the VNA.
The uptake of bivalent formulations of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer-
BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for use as a single booster dose continues to see low
uptake compared with other booster rollouts .
As of December 29, 2022 19.8% of Dubuque County 5 years and older are fully
vaccinated with at least one bi-valent booster dose.
In addition to multiple vaccine providers in Dubuque County, Ongoing walk-in VNA
clinics at 660 Iowa St are available on:
Mondays 3-6 pm -WALK INS
Fridays 8-430pm-WALK INS
Testing
1 /9/23, 1 /30/23
1 /6, 1 /13, 1 /20, 1 /27/23
Local providers providing COVID-19 tests continue to have adequate test supplies and
availability. Testing providers report less demand for COVID-19 testing. In addition to
isolating when you have COVID symptoms, the Dubuque County Public Health Incident
Management Team encourages residents who are symptomatic for COVID-19, but test
negative with a rapid self -test, to follow-up that test with a Test Iowa PCR test.
Test Iowa test kits are free and available for pick-up at multiple locations in Dubuque
County, for a complete list, visit https://www.testiowa.com/en#find-a-pick-up-site
Currently, the average time for Test Iowa results (email confirmation) after being
received at the lab is 12-24 hours.
Dubuque County in home testlowa pick-up sites include:
https://www.cityofdu bugue.org/2940/Local-COVI D-19-Testing-Options
Testing options are updated regularly and posted at
https://www.cityofdu bugue.org/2940/Local-COVI D-19-Testing-Options
The Variants, Cases and Transmission
Omicron and its sub -variants continue to account for 100% of the positive COVID tests
in Dubuque County this fall. Dubuque County continues in the "medium" community
level and "high" for transmission.
Numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have
been tracked in the United States and globally during this pandemic. The Omicron
variant, like other variants, is made up of a number of lineages and sublineages. These
lineages are often very similar to each other, but there can be differences that affect the
behavior of the virus.
CDC is closely tracking a wide range of Omicron sub lineages, and Dubuque
County now has confirmed BQ.land BQ 1.1, which have a very high level of
immune evasiveness (the virus can evade or escape detection by antibodies
from infection or vaccination.)
After Action Report
The IMT has contracted with Emergency Preparedness Consulting (EPC) LLC, to
conduct the COVID-19 pandemic after action report (AAR). Dubuque County executed
a contract with the consultant, which will include a separate component to evaluate City
of Dubuque COVID -19 response operations, specifically public education regarding
COVID-19 and municipal service delivery, safe workplace guidance and employee
safety, and Departments Continuity of Operations Plans. The AAR is expected to be
completed in January, 2023. Community partners, health care organizations and some
appointed and elected officials will be surveyed and/or interviewed for their input.
Looking ahead
• Orient the newly named Dubuque County Public Health Director, Allie White, to
the IMT and Dubuque County public health preparedness activities.
• Modify the IMT COVID-19 response based on the case transmission, CDC
Community Level and community needs and new vaccine availability.
• COVID-19 After Action Report: finalize and report out
• Continue to offer Bivalent booster vaccines: Create and disseminate vaccinations
promotional materials for vaccination.
• Provide ongoing education and access for COVID -19 testing, vaccination, and
other guidance to all populations, with the assistance of the Equity Immersion
Committee and many community partners.
• Continue community vaccine education and administration as eligibility and
availability changes.
• Implementing and distributing updated guidance from CDC, IDPH.
• Monitor and provide community education on SARS CoV2 variants.
• Provide COVID-19 guidance for special events and activities
• Continue assurance of COVID 19 testing access and in -home kit distribution as
supplies and testing providers are available
• Monitor county transmission rates and community level status to provide up to
date information on masking and other mitigation strategies.
• Currently approximately 20% of my time is devoted to COVID-19
DUBUQUE CITY COUNCIL
COVI Dm 19 UPDATE
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LA
Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Director
Jan 3, 2023
■
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Positive Cases - Rolling 3 Day Volume Dubuque County
Mar 1, 2020 - Jan 2, 2023
800
500
400
200
0
Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct
2020 2021 2022
Max 776
Avg 88.22
Min 0
Jan
2023
POWERED BY • •
ha=
y _
Positive Cases by Age Group Dubuque County
Dec 1, 2022 - Jan 2, 2023
0%
0-10 (Child)
11-14 (Child)
15-18 (Young Adult)
19-24 (Adult)
25-29 (Adult)
30-34 (Ad u It)
35-39 (Adult)
40-44 (Middle Age)
45-49 (Middle Age)
50-54 (Middle Age)
55-59 (Middle Age)
60-64 (Older Adult)
65-69 (Older Adult)
70-74 (Older Adult)
75-79 (Older Adult)
80-84 (Elderly)
85+ (Elderly)
5%
5%
5%
6%
5%
5%
Percent (%)
7%
7%
7%
9%
10%
11%
15%
POWERED BY • •
COVID-19 CASES iDPHoArA
NEW COVID4.19 CASES IN DUBUQUE COUNTY
IN LAST 7 DAYS
142 154dk-- 135
1212812022
113l2023
CDC COMMUNITY LEVEL
DUBU
UE CO: MEDIUM
D-19 Community Levels in Iowa
Low '--Medium High * No Data
Mon Dec 05 2022 09:07:13 GMT-0600
Weekly Metrics Used to Determine the
COVID-19 Community Level
Case Rate per 100,000 67.82 133.6
population
New COVID-19 admissions 12.6 18.6
per 100,000 population
% Staffed inpatient beds in use
by patients with confirmed 4.6% 5.5%
COVID-19
Dec 27, Nov 29,
2022 2022
of population _> S years of age with an updated (bivalent) booster
0-9.9% n 10-14.9% 4J1 s-1 9.9% • 20-24.9% • 25%+ No Data
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Tue Jan 03 2023 08:44:33 GMT-0600
GETTING VACCINATED?
Fnr ilMarmatinn aMul CMID-19 vanclna,
1%it: cdn.govycoronlwlrusyvauinea
Moderna's bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be authorized as a
booster (6 months- 5 years)
Pfizer-BioNTech's bivalent is expected to be authorized as part of the pediatric
primary series (6 months- 4 years )
2 doses mono-valent vaccine prior required
Mono-valent vaccine no longer given as a booster for any age
DUBUQUE COUNTY COVIDm I 9VACCINE ACCESS
https://www.dubuquecountviowa.gov/567/COVID-19-Vaccinations
Ongoing walk-in VNA clinics at 660 Iowa St
Mondays: 3-6 pm 1/9, 1/30
Fridays: 8-4:30 pm 1/6, 1/13, 1/20, 1/27
Other dates: walk in if staff is available
SleevesUp Phone Line: (563) 690-6253
VNA Phone Line: (563) 556-6200
FAQ's for vaccination and children
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fag-children.htm
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For MMWR week 51
(December 18, 2022 - December 24, 2022)
Influenza Hospitalizations by Week - HHS Protect
300
Y
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N
O
200
75
d
O
100
OJ
10/8/2022 10115120.. 10122120.. 10129120.. 1 1/5/2022 11112120.. 11119120.. 1 1126120.. 12/3/2022 12118120.. 12117120.. 12124120..
C
COVID -19 VACCINATIONS
Are Updated booster may
reouce your risk of severe
AVID-19 by 50% or more*
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DECEMBER 1&a22
VENTF-
18.5 million US
hospitalizations
3.2 million deaths
SAVED $$$
$1.15 trillion
QUESTIONS?
Thank -you
Next update: Feb 6, 2023