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COVID-19

WCPH asks residents to not gather for holidays

With active COVID-19 spread in the community, Webster County Public Health is asking residents to avoid gathering in large groups for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations to help curb future exposures to the virus. The department encourages residents to plan virtual celebrations instead. The county saw an increase of COVID-19 cases about 10 days after Halloween and is anticipating an uptick as it nears two weeks after Thanksgiving due to gatherings. “We understand the need to do something that feels normal and exciting, but that time will come,” said Kelli Bloomquist, public ...

Mask mandate OK delayed

The Webster County Board of Supervisors will not yet be voting on a resolution to approve a mask mandate enforcement regulation that was passed by the Webster County Board of Health last week. On Monday, the county announced that the Board of Health is taking another look at the regulation ...

Webster County sees 29 new virus cases since Friday

There has been an increase of 29 new COVID-19 cases in Webster County since Friday, according to Webster County Public Health. The county’s cumulative case total is now 4,240 with 198 currently open and in isolation. Also since Friday, Webster County Public Health reported that three additional Webster County residents have died due to COVID-19, bringing the total death count to 42. “I have seen a lot of social media posts from people believing that numbers are somehow trending downward and that COVID is getting better. But this just isn’t true,” said Kelli Bloomquist, ...

Operation Warp speed demonstrates the best of American innovation

Last week, Moderna asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize use of its COVID-19 vaccine after reporting 94 percent efficacy in its trial. This comes on the heels of both Pfizer and AstraZeneca announcing that their respective coronavirus vaccines are 90 percent or more effective. Shortly after the outbreak of COVID-19, my colleagues and I in the Senate got to work to enact bipartisan legislation to provide emergency support for American families, seniors, small businesses, health care workers and countless others in need. This also included nearly $10 billion in ...

Officials: 177 new cases, 4 deaths this week

Webster County Public Health reported 177 new COVID-19 cases in the last four days. In the same week, the Iowa Department of Public Health said four more in the county have died from the virus, bringing the county’s death toll to 39. Well over half of the county’s total number of deaths and infections have occurred in the last five weeks. The county now has experienced a total of 4,211 cases, as new infections steadily increase at nearly the same rate sustained over November. Of all the cases, 232 remain open under public health monitoring. The county’s positivity rate for the ...

No mask, no service

After critiques that the Fort Dodge and state mask mandates had no mechanism for enforcement, the Webster County Board of Public Health passed a regulation Thursday that could implement penalties for businesses that allow customers to enter without face coverings. The measure passed 3-1 ...