Des Moines, Ia (AP) — Coronavirus infections continued a rapid spread across the state, pushing hospitalizations and patients in intensive care to new highs as Iowa medical centers prepared for an onslaught of patients. Iowa public health officials reported 3,533 new confirmed cases Friday and 14 more deaths. Johns Hopkins University researchers say the seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Iowa has risen over the past two weeks from 27% on Oct. 22 to nearly 42% on Nov. 5. That keeps Iowa’s rate second in the nation behind South Dakota. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals reached a new high of 912.
