FROM STAFF REPORTS

Iredell County health officials on Tuesday reported five new deaths attributed to COVID-19 and more than 1,300 new laboratory confirmed cases.

The Iredell County Health Department did not release new data on Monday so Tuesday’s report was the first since Friday, January 7.

With the additional deaths reported Monday, 371 deaths in Iredell County have been attributed to COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic in March of 2020. The health department does not release personal information about individuals who test positive for COVID-19, including those who pass away.

A total of 81 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in Iredell’s three hospitals as of Tuesday, representing a slight dip from 87 on Friday.

Including the 272 new confirmed cases reported on Tuesday, there have been a total of 37,123 cases of COVID-19 in Iredell County. Another 1,169 cases were confirmed between Friday and Monday.

According to the Centers for Disese Control & Prevention, Iredell’s seven-day positivity rate was 30.6 as of Tuesday afternoon. A total of 18 deaths and 85 hospital admissions have been reported in the county during the past seven days.

Only 53 percent of county residents over age 5 are fully vaccinated, and only 20.2 percent of Iredell residents above 18 who are fully vaccinated have received the booster shot.