IOWA - The COVID-19 pandemic is on a downward trend across the country and in Iowa.
There's been a 33 percent drop in new cases nationally over the last seven days, although there's concern over new strains of the virus spreading.
Hospitalizations are especially down in Iowa, having dropped to the lowest level since late September over the weekend.
The number of counties with a high positivity rate is also sharply down from November, when most of the state was classified as high.
Just nine counties now have a positivity rate (15 percent or higher) that qualifies school districts to conduct online only classes.
Iowa is in the bottom third of the New York Times rankings for states with new cases. It's one of 37 states to report a sustained decline in new cases.