DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa now has the third highest COVID-19 positivity rate in the country after reaching more than 4,000 new cases in three of the past four days.
There are now more than a thousand hospitalizations for the first time since the pandemic began, and patients in ICU have also reached a high mark.
Most of the state's counties now have positivity rates that allows schools to apply for online only classes, and some districts have chosen to do so.
The Des Moines district held an emergency meeting Sunday night and unanimously voted to ask the state for a waiver to move all classes online.
Iowa is surrounded by midwestern states with the highest COVID-19 rates in the country. Neighboring South Dakota, Wisconsin and Nebraska rank second, fourth and fifth respectively. North Dakota ranks first.
Iowa currently has the seventh highest death rate from the virus in the country. The state does not have a shortage of hospital beds, which is a problem in some states. Almost 35 percent of hospital beds in Iowa are available as of early Monday morning.
The COVID-19 numbers for the state are provided by the Iowa Department of Public Health.