IOWA - Iowa is establishing a sustained downward trend in COVID-19.
Numbers from the New York Times show new cases in the state are down 24 percent in the last two-weeks, while hospitalizations are also down (17 percent) over the same time frame.
Iowa's positivity rate has been on a similar downswing. Other indicators include a drop in unemployment claims connected to COVID-19.
The falling COVID-19 numbers come as the state continues to make progress in vaccinating people.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control show Iowa inching toward 60 percent of adults with at least one vaccine shot while about 43 percent are fully vaccinated.
Both numbers outstrip national rates (30 percent fully vaccinated, 43 percent with one dose).
Governor Kim Reynolds has set a goal of having 75 percent of Iowans fully vaccinated in June.
Vaccine clinics are being planned at baseball games and famer's markets across the state in the upcoming weeks.
Young people, ages 18-to-35 have been identified as the group most resistant to getting COVID-19 vaccines.
The U.S. as a whole will surpass one-hundred million fully vaccinated people as early as Friday. The country is also approaching 150 million people with at least one dose