Polk County residents urged to get COVID boosters amid rising virus levels in wastewater
Polk County health officials are encouraging community members to get COVID-19 vaccines this winter amid rising concentrations of the virus traced in wastewater across the county.
The Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority's surveillance system, which measures levels of COVID-19 in the wastewater of more than 500,000 residents, shows a rising concentration of the virus in Polk County, according to the WRA's latest data.
The virus levels are measured using "copies,” which signifies the number of times COVID-19 genetic material occurs in a liter of the wastewater sample, according to Madisun VanGundy, public health communications officer at the Polk County Health Department. The wastewater reclamation authority's tracking system is part of a national study meant to serve as an early warning that COVID-19 is spreading in a community, according to the WRA.
About 1.3 million virus copies/L of wastewater were recorded on a Dec. 11 Des Moines wastewater surveillance report. Each sample collected every week is a snapshot of one day alone, VanGundy said.
"We are seeing an increasing spike," Polk County Public Health Director Helen Eddy said of the wastewater report at a county supervisor's meeting Tuesday, adding that a rise in COVID-19 levels, as well as other influenza-type viruses, is not unusual around the holiday season.
"It starts generally before Thanksgiving and then we start to gather for the holidays and that usually accelerates the growth," Eddy said.
"We anticipate we'll continue to see another increase and spike after the holidays," she added.
Still, VanGundy says wastewater surveillance data is one tool out of multiple tools the county uses to keep a pulse on COVID-19 levels; another is hospitalization rates.
Weekly Iowa hospital admissions for COVID-19 have also steadily increased, with 322 COVID-19 patients admitted for the week of Dec. 2, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID tracker. The number is on par with the rate of COVID-19 hospital admissions around the same time in 2022 but trending lower than admissions counted during the pandemic. (The tracker reported 735 COVID-19 hospital admissions the week of Dec. 4, 2021.)
Despite the rise in COVID-19 traces in wastewater and an increase in hospitalizations, VanGundy emphasized hospitalization rates are still low.
"It’s not a huge cause for concern at this time," she said in an email to the Des Moines Register. "Especially compared to where we were in the pandemic."
Where to get the COVID-19 booster shot in Iowa
The best defense against the virus is getting the COVID-19 booster and staying home if you're feeling ill, Eddy advises.
Virtually all Americans are recommended to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine by the CDC, which issued guidance in September that everyone over the age of 6 months receive an updated COVID-19 shot this winter. Only 1 in 5 Iowans are up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations as of October, according to the CDC.
VanGundy also advises community members to stay up to date on their flu shots and consider getting the RSV vaccine if they are eligible. Additionally, people should wash their hands frequently, cover coughs and sneezes and clean frequently used surfaces. People are also encouraged to have COVID-19 test kits on hand, she wrote.
"We know that hearing about these hygiene practices can get monotonous," VanGundy wrote, "but these practices are simple and easy and they will help keep our community healthy this holiday season, if more people follow them."
Iowans can find free or low-cost options for vaccines through the federal vaccines.gov website. Uninsured and underinsured children are guaranteed free access to vaccines through the federal Vaccines for Children Program.
Local residents can also find clinics offering free or low-cost vaccines by contacting the Polk County Health Department or visiting immunizepolk.com.
During the Tuesday meeting, supervisors also approved an agreement that increases wages for nurses on the county's sexual assault support team from Des Moines area hospitals.
Local hospitals to increase pay for Mid-Iowa Sexual Assault Response Team to treat victims of sexual assault
To combat staffing shortages, three Des Moines-area hospitals are increasing the hourly, on-call pay for trained nurses on the county's sexual assault response team who offer support for victims of sexual assault.
The Mid-Iowa Sexual Assault Response Team, which began in Polk County in 2006, is a group of health care providers trained to examine and care for victims of sexual assault, according to the supervisors' agenda document. Notably, the team includes collection of a rape kit for the preservation of evidence, Eric Kool, director of Polk County Community, Family and Youth Services, wrote in an email to the Register.
Mid-Iowa SART, which is run through Polk County Crisis & Advocacy Services, responds to more than four sexual assault victims each week, on average, in Polk County, according to the team's website.
According to Kool, trained sexual assault nurse examiners are on call 24/7 to respond to care for sexual assault victims who check into hospitals. Polk County also sends victim advocates to those responses.
The Attorney General’s Office reimburses nurses for their response and examination, Kool wrote. It also provides hospitals a reimbursement called a “facility fee," half of which has been used to pay an hourly on-call wage for the nurses.
With nursing shortages, the county has sought to increase nurses' on-call pay since December 2022 from $2 per hour up to $10 per hour, he said. In 2023, the county upped the wage to $6 per hour using reserve funds, but that was "not sustainable."
County supervisors approved an agreement Tuesday with Broadlawns Medical Center, Mercy One Des Moines and Unity Point that would provide revenue to pay a $10 per hour rate, due to the frequency of patients who seek care at the hospitals, according to the memo.
"This does not guarantee a full schedule, because nursing shortages continue, but the increase was seen as critical to maintaining a high level of availability," Kool wrote.
The new yearlong contract will begin Jan. 1 and can be renewed for the following year. According to the memo, here's how much each hospital will pay for the year:
Broadlawns: $21,300
Mercy One Des Moines: $41,500
Unity Point: $84,300
"I want to thank everyone who worked on this," Polk County Supervisor Angela Connolly said at the meeting.
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Polk residents urged to get COVID boosters amid rising virus levels
