There were nearly 14-hundred Covid patients in Iowa hospitals Sunday evening. That’s three times as many as a month ago and nearly double the number that were hospitalized on November 1st. Dr. Dan Diekema is director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Iowa. He says Iowa hospitals are converting general wards to areas for Covid patients only and retraining staff who work in other areas to care for Covid patients.

Diekema made his comments during an appearance on Iowa Public Radio. This weekend, public health officials in Polk County said staffing is the biggest issue facing hospitals in Des Moines. A statement from the Polk County Public Health Department used words like “dire” and “alarming” to describe the continued escalation in cases of the coronavirus.