Iowa will soon decommission its COVID-19 websites, after Governor Kim Reynolds signed the final extension of the state's Public Health Disaster Emergency Proclamation, her office announced Thursday.
The Public Health Disaster Emergency Proclamation, which will now expire on February 15, was first issued on March 17, 2020, and included provisions related to pandemic response. Reynolds says that the remaining provisions in the proclamation focus on addressing workforce issues, which would be better addressed by legislation and other more permanent solutions.
The state says that Iowa is not alone in ending its public health proclamation, as almost half of all states have already discontinued theirs.
The state says that its COVID-19 dashboard (coronavirus.iowa.gov) and its vaccine resources website (vaccinateiowa.gov) will now be decommissioned on February 16. However, certain COVID-19 data points will still be available on the IDPH website
Reynolds says that the state will begin to manage COVID-19 similar to how it manages and tracks the flu.
“We cannot continue to suspend duly enacted laws and treat COVID-19 as a public health emergency indefinitely. After two years, it’s no longer feasible or necessary. The flu and other infectious illnesses are part of our everyday lives, and coronavirus can be managed similarly,” Reynolds stated. “State agencies will now manage COVID-19 as part of normal daily business, and reallocate resources that have been solely dedicated to the response effort to serve other important needs for Iowans.”
The data still reported on the IDPH website (idph.iowa.gov) will include information on positive tests, cases by county, deaths, and vaccinations. The state asserts that this will create greater efficiency and help staff get back to their original roles.
According to Garcia, in a press meeting following the announcement, a number of IDPH staff are tied up managing the data, and could be better used elsewhere. She cited for an example, the increased number of suicides being seen in central Iowa.
“While our COVID-19 reporting will look different, Iowans should rest assured that the state health department will continue to review and analyze COVID-19 and other public health data daily, just as we always have,” IDPH Director Kelly Garcia stated. “The new format will include data points that Iowans are used to seeing, but moves us closer to existing reporting standards for other respiratory viruses. This new phase also assures that our teams, who have been deeply committed to the COVID-19 response, can return to their pre-pandemic responsibilities, and refocus on areas where the pandemic has taken a hard toll.”
At the press meeting following the announcement reporters asked Garcia if Iowa was now looking at COVID-19 as an endemic disease rather than a pandemic.
"Yes ultimately that will be the case. We aren't there yet because that means steady, and we are still on the downside of a peak, thankfully on the downside," said Garcia. "Every indicator tells us that we peaked a couple of weeks ago, maybe 10 days ago, around the 18th of last month. But we'll need to hold steady to meet that definition.
Iowa will still be reporting COVID-19 data to the CDC, which will continue to provide some state-level data. The State Hygienic Lab will also continue to operate its at-home testing program.
Because it's not a prerequisite, Iowa will still receive federal coronavirus-related funds without a disaster proclamation in place.
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