Gazette Daily News Briefing, November 21 and November 22
This is Stephen Colbert with the Gazette Digital News Desk and this is your weekend update for November 28th and 29th, 2020.
The weather on Saturday will be sunny with a high of 53 and a low of 31 Saturday night. Sunday will still be sunny, but it’s going to start to get colder with a high of 44 and a low of 21 Sunday night.
Iowa continues downward trend in hospitalizations after hitting a peak a week and a half ago. https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/coronavirus-iowa-numbers-november-black-friday-20201127
Hospitalizations across the state continued to dip over the 24-hour period, dropping from 1,269 to 1,226. The number of patients being treated in intensive care units also dipped from 271 to 256 and the number of patients on ventilators decreased slightly from 142 to 141. After hitting a high point of 1,527 Iowans hospitalized due to coronavirus on November 18th, the numbers have been on a steady decline and Friday was the 3rd day in a row to see a decrease from the previous day, following a slight bump after 5 days of consecutive decrease before that.
As these numbers decrease, University of Hospitals and Clinics has also implemented a home treatment program for coronavirus patients to further alleviate the strain on hospitals. https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/university-iowa-coronavirus-home-treatment-hospitalization-20201127
The UIHC Home Treatment Team, which started early in the coronavirus pandemic, is a targeted initiative that provides daily direct care at home, in an effort to keep COVID-19 patients out of the hospital.
The team now has seen about 1,300 patients with high risk for complications of the virus. But to date, only 9 percent have required a hospital bed during their care. Only about 2 percent have required a bed in the intensive-care unit.
The new chief deputy U.S. marshal for Iowa is one of youngest in the nation. https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/public-safety/new-chief-deputy-us-marshal-for-iowa-one-of-youngest-in-the-nation-20201127
Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Barther started out on a much different career path, going from a pre-K teacher to hunting fugitive. The 34 year old Barther said growing up in Pompano Beach, Florida, he spent a lot of time at summer camps and participated in the Boys and Girls Club and wanted to take what he learned from those experiences and mentor kids.
However, an internship at the U.S. Marshal’s Service in Washington, D.C. changed things and after graduation, he took a job with the U.S. Capitol Police in Washington, D.C., where he worked for a year before becoming a U.S. marshal in Miami.
Now, he’s now the highest ranking sworn law enforcement professional who runs the day-to-day operations in the 52-county Northern District of Iowa, which has offices in Cedar Rapids and Sioux City.
